Glen Echo in Montgomery County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
A Life of Service
Clara Barton National Historic Site
— National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior —
while able, you never will." —Clara Barton
When Clara Barton moved into this house in 1897, she was 75 years old and had gained international fame for her work in the Civil War. After the war, Clara Barton traveled to Europe where she learned about the International Red Cross. She served with the German Red Cross in the Franco Prussian War and earned several honors. When she returned to America, she spent 5 years lobbying Congress to ratify the Treaty of Geneva in order to establish the American Red Cross. In Glen Echo, Miss Barton continued her work in foreign aid, diplomacy, and equal rights while leading the American Red Cross. Along the way, Clara Barton developed ways of thinking that are part of our lives today. She gave us the first aid kit, emergency preparedness, and was a pioneer of natural disaster relief.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Science & Medicine • War, US Civil • Women. In addition, it is included in the Clara Barton series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1897.
Location. 38° 58.049′ N, 77° 8.448′ W. Marker is in Glen Echo, Maryland, in Montgomery County. Marker is on Oxford Road. Located at the parking lot / Oxford Road entrance to the Clara Barton House, at Glen Echo Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Glen Echo MD 20812, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Clara Barton House (a few steps from this marker); A Heroine's Home (within shouting distance of this marker); “A riotous country jumble” (within shouting distance of this marker); The Hall of Philosophy (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Minnehaha Creek (about 300 feet away); The Clara Barton Trail (about 400 feet away); The Glen Echo Park Yurts (about 600 feet away); Glen Echo Park’s Crystal Pool (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Glen Echo.
Also see . . . Clara Barton: Founder of the American Red Cross. she risked her life when she was nearly 40 years old to bring supplies and support to soldiers in the field during the Civil War. ...Following the battle of Cedar Mountain in northern Virginia in August 1862, she appeared at a field hospital at midnight with a wagon-load of supplies drawn by a four-mule team. The surgeon on duty, overwhelmed by the human disaster surrounding him, wrote later, "I thought that night if heaven ever sent out a[n] . . . angel, she must be one-her assistance was so timely." Thereafter she was known as the "Angel of the Battlefield" as she served the troops at the battles of Fairfax Station, Chantilly, Harpers Ferry, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Charleston, Petersburg and Cold Harbor. ...Then, at age 60, she founded the American Red Cross in 1881 and led it for the next 23 years. (Submitted on July 30, 2011, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)
Credits. This page was last revised on July 22, 2020. It was originally submitted on July 30, 2011, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 4,486 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 31, 2011, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 4. submitted on April 25, 2006, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 5. submitted on July 31, 2011, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 6, 7. submitted on July 30, 2011, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.