Health/Medicine

Clara Barton National Historic Site

Clara Barton National Historic Site commemorates the life of Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross. The house in Glen Echo served as her home, headquarters for the American Red Cross and a warehouse for disaster relief supplies. From this house, she organized and directed American Red Cross relief efforts for victims of natural disasters and war. Clara Barton National Historic Site was established in the National Park Service in 1975 and is administered by the George Washington Memorial Parkway.

As was her habit since founding the American Red Cross from her residence in Dansville, New York, Clara Barton's home in Glen Echo, Maryland would also house the American Red Cross. Clara Barton published several American Red Cross reports and books. The Red Cross, In Peace and War provided a comprehensive history of the American Red Cross from its beginning through the relief campaigns of the Spanish-American War. The American Red Cross depended upon donations to provide for the victims of natural disasters and war. Clara Barton used her publications describing the work of the relatively new organization to gain public acceptance and support.

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