In 1882, a veteran’s reunion group asked Clara Barton to come speak at an event.  At this time strong lobbying efforts for women’s rights by Susan B. Anthony and her followers obviously annoyed some men.  According to Barton, the group reassured their membership stating, We can promise our citizens a rare treat of […]

While considering how to convey the suspected reasoning behind Clara Barton’s nomination of Lucy Stone Blackwell, the best short phrase that keeps coming to mind is “The Original American Women’s Libber.” During my vetting process, one article on Stone-Blackwell states, “Stone was known for using her maiden name after marriage.” Unlike some of the other […]

It seems most would agree that to make a reputation as an influential professional historian, one must write and publish not only books, but all sorts of printed matter for public consumption.  Yesterday, at the main museum I noticed a new book in our library, Lincoln and Whitman, by William E. Barton, Clara Barton’s […]

Clara Barton is an American Icon because of some extraordinary achievements made during her lifetime.  They were the result of hard work, but primarily born from determination and perseverance.  We can separate her work into several areas from her overall role as a pioneering American woman, primarily: HumanitarianismEducatorInternational Relief OrganizerChampion of Human […]

Enjoy this reflection on Clara Barton’s experience of Christmas in war-time Washington from 2013.  Clara Barton spent several years in Washington during Christmas, which also happened to be her birthday.  My impression from reading diaries and letters is that although she did not dislike the holiday, it wasn’t very exciting to her, […]

Riding into work today, I started thinking (dangerous, I know) about some conversation and my work yesterday in our main office in Frederick, MD.  We were discussing unique merchandising ideas for the Missing Soldiers Office and one particular idea is t-shirts with Barton attributes screen-printed on the front.  We discussed how interesting it might be […]

I went to the Senate accomplished nothing as usual. –Clara Barton in her diary, Monday, January 30, 1865 With the Shutdown still bogging down Congress with little hope in sight, I am amused today reading an earlier diary entry from Miss Barton which echoes, I believe today’s sentiments regarding our Government in Washington… […]

Last year, a college approached me about coming to speak this past spring about Clara Barton’s experience at the Battle of Gettysburg.  I felt bad in having to inform the caller that Miss Barton was not at the battle.  She had gone to South Carolina, where her brother David received orders for […]

Clara Barton nominated Mrs. Mott for the American Women’s Hall of Fame in 1910.  Mrs. Mott also hailed from Massachusetts, born in 1793 and lived to be 87 years old.  A Quaker, she attended Nine Partners Quaker Boarding School in a community now called Millbrook, New York.  After graduation she remained at the school as a […]