Clara Barton

Clara Barton. , Clarissa 'Clara' Harlowe Barton traveled through Tampa, in 1898, on her way to and from Cuba during the Spanish American War. Barton often stayed at the home of J. Mack Towne, which was located just north of this marker at 350 Plant Avenue. There she established a headquarters for the American Red Cross to coordinate relief efforts during the war. In early 1895, the Cuban war for liberty began as the result of the demands by Cuban patriots for independence from Spanish rule. News of the Cuban peasants' struggle against Spanish oppression aroused American sympathy to their cause. In 1898, at the age of 77, Barton obtained permission to travel to Cuba to ease the suffering of Cuban civilians against the Spanish Reconcentration., On April 25, 1898, the United States government declared war on Spain due, in part, to America's support of the ongoing struggle by Cubans and Filipinos against Spanish rule and the mysterious explosion of the battleship U.S.S. Maine in Havana Harbor. Barton waited here, at the Red Cross headquarters, while soldiers assembled in Tampa before embarking to Cuba. While in Tampa, her nurses received intensive emergency medical training. Barton followed the military to Cuba bringing nurses and supplies. This was the first time the Red Cross assisted the U.S. military. During the conflict, Barton and the American Red Cross brought relief to Cuban civilians and both American and Spanish soldiers. On August 12, 1898, Spain surrendered, bringing an end to the Spanish American War. Barton left Cuba on September 10, 1898, passing through Tampa one last time.