Clara Barton National Historic Site

When disasters strike, the American Red Cross is there to help. You can thank Clara Barton for this modern organization. Barton's home in Maryland honors the life and times of this pioneering and brave woman. After visiting the Clara Barton home, you may never see a small cut on your skin the same way again.

Barton was a nurse during the Civil War. She tended to wounded soldiers in Washington DC after they came back from the battlefield. As she tended to more and more wounded, she realized how short hospitals were on supplies. She took this supply problem one step further when Barton recognized that more lives could be saved on the battlefields themselves.

Barton created a mobile-type wagon service. She and her charges would deliver supplies to doctors on the battlefield during combat. This put Barton in harm's way on several occasions. In one instance, a bullet grazed her sleeve at the Battle of Antietam. The bullet missed her but killed the wounded soldier she was tending to. Clearly, Miss Barton had a higher purpose later in life.

Barton's home in Glen Echo, Maryland, houses documents, artifacts, and profiles in courage. One woman's mindfulness saw a need and she filled it. Her bravery under fire saved many lives. The American Red Cross continues that tradition today.

The home was more than just where Barton lived. It was the first office of the American Red Cross in the early 1900s. The main office had a typewriter, desk, telegraph, and telephone. Artifacts in the home are meticulously preserved. Ranger-led tours take you through Barton's life and home.