Clara Barton

Yesterday after our trip to the air and space museum we went to the Clara Barton National Historic Site in Maryland. I knew she was a nurse during the Civil War. I didn't know she started the first public school in the state of New Jersey. When New Jersey decided public schools were good and went to hire a principal, they chose a man over Clara. So Clara decided to leave New Jersey and start a school elsewhere. Once the war started she went into nursing. She nursed whomever was injured no matter which side of the war they fought for. After the Civil War she went to France to rest and recover. There she learned about the Red Cross. When she came back to this country she started the American Red Cross. She was a successful leader of the Red Cross but not good at keeping records. She ran the Red Cross until she was 83 years old. This house was given to her by two brothers who invented the egg beater. They wanted a famous person to live near their amusement park. The Red Cross wanted the house once she retired but found it it didn't belong to the organization, the house belonged to Clara. Through her work with the Red Cross we now have guidelines for natural disasters such as fires and floods and tornadoes. Clara Barton was a remarkable woman whose patriotic work benefitted millions of Americans.