During the Civil War, numerous societies often referred to as “ladies’ aid societies” were formed in the North and South by women wishing to support the troops and contribute to the war effort. Ten days after the firing on Fort Sumter, Lancaster ladies met to organize the Patriot Daughters of Lancaster. Rosina Hubley, owner of the Swan Hotel, was elected president. The initial purpose of the organization was to raise funds and provide food and supplies for soldiers in local companies of Pennsylvania Regiments. They coordinated the efforts of women’s societies in smaller towns in the county for knitting socks, sewing needed articles of clothing, and collecting supplies for hospitals. Lancaster men accompanied wagons and train cars loaded with provisions to sites of major battles.
After fighting stopped in Gettysburg on July 3, 1863, wagons loaded with supplies and five volunteer Patriot Daughters headed to Gettysburg as cooks and nurses. They served for four weeks at the field hospital at Christ Church and returned home only to be recalled to serve at the Lutheran Seminary with the Sisters of Charity. Early in 1864 the ladies published a book of their experiences entitled Hospital Scenes After the Battle of Gettysburg, July, 1863, sold as a fundraiser. As a final act of devotion, the ladies were permitted to place gardenias on Lincoln’s casket as his funeral train stopped in Lancaster.
The formal organization disbanded in 1865, but members continued to support widows and orphans, and spearheaded efforts for Lancaster’s Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument erected in 1874 on the square..