Just 10 years after the museum opened, the world was in the throes of WWII and the first floor of Dumbarton House became a service unit for the American Red Cross.
And this wouldn't be the last time that the NSCDA offered support during war times.
In 1967, the organization sponsored the USS Sanctuary during the Vietnam War, sending supplies, funds, care packages and tape recorders so that wounded soldiers could send messages home.
During that same conflict, the NSCDA sent ditty bags to troops and raised $15,000 for the Red Cross (which is over $113,000 in today's money).
Beyond supporting service members and their families in times of conflict, the NSCDA continued to add to its collection of historic house museums, sites, and monuments.
Historic preservation was the core of their work and in 2000 it was rewarded with an honor from which organization?