The International Order of The King’s Daughters and Sons (IOKDS) is an international, interdenominational organization of Christian men and women whose aim is to carry out religious, educational, and philanthropic projects in their communities. Members of the Order are organized across the United States and Canada by state/province as Branches, and locally in Unions and Circles.
Members work hard throughout the year volunteering their time and energy to support local community service programs and activities in their area. IOKDS is fortunate to have responsibility for three houses located on the grounds of the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York. Members are able to reserve rooms in these houses and enjoy a week or more at the Institution during the nine-week season in order to relax and restore their energy for continuing their volunteer work with the Order.
Chautauqua Institution is a non-profit education center and summer resort for adults and youth located in Chautauqua, New York, 17 miles northwest of Jamestown in the southwestern part of New York State.
The Institution was established in 1874 by inventor Lewis Miller and Methodist Bishop John Heyl Vincent as a teaching camp for Sunday-school teachers. The teachers would arrive by steamboat and begin a course of Bible study that used a replica of Palestine Park to teach the geography of the Holy Land. The Institution was also the home of the Chautauqua movement that became popular in the US in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Chautauqua operates each summer and offers educational activities to the public during the season in the areas of arts, education, religion, and music. The physical setting of the institution is like a village and is comprised of an assortment of homes, cottages, rooming houses, hotels, shops, an amphitheatre, an opera house, denominational houses, a movie theatre, and a library.
Every summer during its nine-week season, Chautauqua Institution provides an interesting array of programs including fine and performing arts, lectures, worship services, and religious programs, as well as recreational activities. Sundays at Chautauqua feature worship services, both denominational and ecumenical. There is an afternoon Amphitheater program, and on Sundays, entrance to the Institution grounds is free.
Comments on the origins of Chautauqua
Joan Brown Campbell, Director, Department of Religion, Chautauqua Institution – “They believed that if democracy was to succeed, you had to have an educated electorate, and they believed that the churches had some responsibility for that.”
David McCullough, Historian/Author – In 19th century American, “it was considered not quite appropriate, or American, to take a vacation, particularly if you just went off and did nothing. But if you went on vacation where you had elevating lectures given or religious services or religious education, then it became a little more acceptable.”
Relationship between Chautauqua Institution and The King’s Daughters and Sons
The King’s Daughters and Sons have long enjoyed a close relationship with the Chautauqua Institution. During open weeks in the summer season, IOKDS members have the opportunity to visit Chautauqua, stay in one of the three houses own by the Order, and savour the learning and cultural experience that is at the core of the Chautauqua community. The IOKDS Headquarters office is also located on Vincent Avenue – along the main entrance way to the grounds of Chautauqua.