Clara Barton (1821-1912) lived the last 15 years of her life in this large house, first built to store the supplies needed for her relief work in disasters. Constructed in 1891, it was modeled after the Johnstown Flood Relief Shelter in Pennsylvania and served as the first headquarters of the American Red Cross. After teaching in her home state Massachusetts and New Jersey, Clara Barton moved to Washington, DC, to work for the Patent Office. During the Civil War, she aided the wounded soldiers and worked alongside the U.S. Sanitary Commission and U.S. Christian Commission. In 1881, she founded the American Red Cross, and eventually assisted in the relief of many disasters, including floods and hurricanes, and worked in the Cuban battle fields during the Spanish American War.

The Clara Barton National Historical Site is located in Glen Echo, Maryland, just northwest of Washington, D.C. For additional information about Clara Barton or the house, please visit the Web site maintained by the National Park Service.

See: #29 on Area Map.

No nearby Metro station.