In 1897, a group of women joined to form the Knickerbocker Chapter, NSDAR, as part of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. They selected the suitable name Knickerbocker for a few reasons; many of the members were descendants of early Dutch settlers in New York, who were called Knickerbockers. It is also the pseudonym under which Washington Irving wrote History of New York, a book about active American writers in the early 19th century. The members also figured it was lucky that the name contained thirteen letters, representing each of the original thirteen colonies. The chapter’s original headquarters was located at 226 West 58th Street in Manhattan.

In 1902, Knickerbocker Chapter, NSDAR, was one of four New York City chapters to call upon city authorities to purchase the Morris House, now the Morris-Jumel Mansion, located in Washington Heights. The Morris House served as George Washington’s headquarters from September 16 until October 21, 1776. The Knickerbocker Chapter, NSDAR, donated $65.75 (today about $2,200) for this cause, helping to save the mansion from destruction. In 2021, Knickerbocker Chapter, NSDAR, once again followed its legacy to support Morris-Jumel Mansion to “infuse narratives of Black individuals associated with the 1765 historic site into the core interpretative materials at the museum” as part of past Chapter Regent Gyda Sabaugh's project.

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The original Knickerbocker Chapter, NSDAR, was disbanded in 1961.