Since I last blogged, I had the exciting privilege of joining the National Rural Electric Cooperatives’ Association (NRECA) to represent Michigan on a trip to Washington, D.C. for their annual Youth Tour. This was easily one of my favorite travel experiences, because I was free to explore one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Representing my local electric cooperative was incredible, and I reveled in the opportunity to meet Congress members and explore aspects of the U.S. government I never imagined seeing firsthand.
However, easily my favorite part of the trip did not occur in a large marble government building or on the steps of memorial, but on the third floor of a small building on 7th Street.
My tour guide was giddy with excitement as we stood on the sidewalk in front of the brick building, immersed in history unlike almost anywhere else in the United States. The beauty we had already seen was difficult to top.
As we were ushered in, however, I was immediately excited. The cool day had left us all in sweaters and weighed down with coffee, and the environment immediately suited our comfort. Clara Barton was, of course, known as the “Angel of the Battlefield” during the Civil War and grew to become the founder of the American Red Cross after her small effort to bring Union soldiers basic supplies grew into a movement that serves as a foundation for American volunteerism and philanthropy.
Today, the American Red Cross is perhaps best known for its response during natural disasters, but the organization also provides opportunities for blood donation, first aid, and other community outreach programs. Though the company was originally created outside the United States, the American Red Cross is now one of the most well-known charitable organizations in the world.
However, Clara did more in her lifetime than just found the American Red Cross; she began her journey as a teacher, establishing the first free public school in Bordentown, New Jersey, before the school’s success threatened town leaders, causing them to feel it necessary for a man to fill the position as principal. After this time, Clara moved to Washington, D.C, where she began working for the U.S. Patent Office, but again struggled due to conservative ideals about women in the workplace.
After the Civil War began, Clara began bringing supplies from around the country to the battlefield in order to aid Union soldiers, becoming known throughout the war as the”Angel of the Battlefield.” However, when the war ended, Clara’s work did not end. She founded the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office, a resource for families of soldiers to discover their whereabouts, even if the soldiers had perished. All of this occurred prior to her founding of the American Red Cross, where she established response efforts for war and natural disaster.
The Missing Soldiers Office was forgotten about for long after Clara’s lifetime. It had been known that Clara Barton had lived somewhere on 7th Street, but no one knew where until a building was inspected for a routine demolition in 1996. . . and a letter, along with a sign reading, “Missing Soldiers Office, Office 3rd Story Room 9, Miss Clara Barton.” Thus, both Clara’s living and working quarters were rediscovered and the Missing Soldiers Office Museum was born.
The museum itself only just opened to the public in 2015 and seems small in comparison to the tourist-ridden sights of the rest of the capital. However, visiting is affordable and well worth the hour away from the National Mall, because the tour guides are passionate and informed about Clara’s story and sharing it with the world. More than anything, I loved the Missing Soldiers Office because it was a unique piece of Washington’s history and America’s history that focused on the value of making a difference, even when it takes over 100 years for that difference to be recognized.