Clara Barton Museum

National POW/MIA Recognition Day - Free Admission All Weekend
2019-09-19 11:00 - 2019-09-21 17:00 (America/New_York) | Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum, 437 7th Street NW, Washington, 20004, United States
In honor of National POW/MIA Recognition Day, the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum is offering FREE admission on September 19 – September 21.

The third Friday in September has been set aside to remember those who were prisoners of war and those who remain missing in action. The observance of National POW/MIA Recognition Day takes place on military installations around the country.
Clara Barton devoted her time and energy in search of Union soldiers who went missing during the Civil War. From 1865-1868, the Missing Soldiers Office discovered the fate of more than 22,000 missing soldiers and provided information to grieving Northern families.
Her work also sent her to Andersonville Prison in August 1865, when she accompanied a U.S. Army expedition to the notorious prisoner of war camp in Georgia. She advocated on behalf of the survivors of that Confederate prison and testified about the conditions they experienced in front of Congress in February 1866.
Admission to the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum will be FREE all weekend (September 19-21).
Read more about Clara Barton’s work with the Missing Soldiers Office

More resources about POW/MIA Recognition Day
4 Things to Know about POW/MIA Recognition Day
The Story Behind the POW/MIA Flag

Reconstruction in the West
2019-07-18 18:00 - 19:00 | Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum, 437 7th Street NW, Washington, 20004, United States
Hear the rarely told story of Reconstruction in the American west and learn about its impact on the present day
American Progress, an 1872 painting by John Gast detailing how Americans envisioned westward expansion. The reality was more complex.
On July 18 at 6:00 PM, come to the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office to hear from historian Maureen Lavelle about the process of Reconstruction in the western United States. While it is a story told with less frequency, its impact is still felt in the region today.
Historians and history buffs alike tend to focus on the efforts of Reconstruction in the South, where the Civil War was hardest felt. However, this era of transformative social and political change was not merely wrought in the South, but all over the United States. Though largely untouched by battle, Unionists and Confederates alike vied for resources from the fledgling states and territories in the American West, and continued their struggle for control long after the Civil War ended. Hear the stories of Civil War veterans who joined the crowds of pioneers moving west, and how their ideological clashes and the changes brought by Reconstruction shaped the West.
Maureen Lavelle hails from Boise, Idaho and is a recent graduate of West Virginia University. Her studies focused on Public History and women’s memorialization efforts in the postwar South. She studied U.S. History at Willamette University, and spends her summers working as a seasonal employee with the National Park Service.

How Civil War Medicine Killed President James Garfield
2019-06-29 13:00 - 14:00 | James A. Garfield National Historic Site, 8095 Mentor Ave, Mentor, OH, 44060, United States
Sixteen years after the end of our nation’s bloodiest conflict, antiquated Civil War medical techniques led to the death of President James Garfield.

When an assassin’s bullet struck James Garfield in July 1881, the battle to save the president’s life began. In the weeks that followed, doctors argued over how to treat the stricken executive. In the end, Dr. D. Willard Bliss took control of Garfield’s recovery and controversy has surrounded his role ever since. Jake Wynn of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine will discuss the history of Garfield’s recovery and how antiquated techniques learned by Dr. Bliss during his Civil War experience played a role in James Garfield’s death in September 1881.
The presentation will take place on June 29 at 1:00 PM at the James A. Garfield National Historic Site in Mentor, Ohio.
Jake Wynn is the Director of Interpretation at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. He also writes independently at the Wynning History blog.

The Wound Dresser - Walt Whitman and the Civil War
2019-06-13 18:00 - 19:00 | Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum, 437 7th Street NW, Washington, 20004, United States
Learn about the man behind the poetry
Walt Whitman Courtesy of the National Archives
“Oh Captain, my Captain”–Walt Whitman’s words about President Lincoln and the Civil War continue to echo in our ears and in our pop culture. On Thursday June 13 at 6:00 PM at the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office, discover the man behind the poetry, as Garrett Peck introduces us to Walt Whitman the poet, the nurse, the brother, the lover, the clerk, the myth, and the man.
Garrett Peck is the author of Walt Whitman in Washington, D.C.: The Civil War and America’s Great Poet. He is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute and earned his M.A. at the George Washington University. He leads local tours, including the Walt Whitman Tour and Alexandria’s Historic Breweries Tours.
The pay-what-you-please program begins on June 13 at 6:00 PM at the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum.

Civil War Medicine in Washington
2019-05-30 18:00 - 19:00 | Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum, 437 7th Street NW, Washington, 20004, United States
Washington’s Civil War hospitals played host to a wide range of characters from President Abraham Lincoln to Walt Whitman.
Buildings of Armory Square Hospital with the Capitol in the background. Courtesy of the Library of Congress
As the Civil War roared to life in April 1861, Washington was a city completely unprepared for war. With thousands of soldiers descending on the Union capital, minimal defensive fortifications, housing, and other vital military amenities became a major problem. But by the summer of 1861, the lack of large hospitals pushed Washington into near crisis. With battles and campaigns occurring nearby on an almost daily basis, the city needed its first hospital system.
On Thursday, May 30 at 6 PM, public historian Jake Wynn will discuss the fascinating role played by Washington’s military hospitals in the Civil War. Tens of thousands of wounded and sick soldiers were cared for in hospitals established across the District of Columbia. From the National Mall, to Georgetown, and dotting the hills north of the city, these medical facilities became an integral part of war-time Washington and played host to a wide range of characters from President Abraham Lincoln to Walt Whitman, from Louisa May Alcott to Clara Barton.
The medicine practiced in these hospitals was not the butchery often credited to Civil War medicine. Instead, Washington’s hospitals hosted some of the most skilled surgeons in the world, utilizing new techniques and ensuring that countless lives were saved. This talk will explore the establishment of the hospitals, the men and women who worked in them, the patients treated within their walls, and the hospital system’s impact on Washington.
This is a pay-what-you-please presentation. This event is part of the Walt Whitman 200 Festival, sponsored by HumanitiesDC. The festival runs from May 23 – June 3, 2019.
Jake Wynn is the Director of Interpretation at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine and Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office.

James A. Garfield and the First Decoration Day - May 30, 1868
2019-05-18 11:00 - 12:00 | Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum, 437 7th Street NW, Washington, 20004, United States
Discover the origin of Memorial Day in the United States and the role played by future president James Garfield
James Garfield during the Civil War
On Saturday May 18 at the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum, join the Site Manager of James A. Garfield National Historic Site Todd Arrington as he discusses the first Memorial Day.
The holiday we now call Memorial Day was founded after the Civil War and known initially as Decoration Day. The first national Decoration Day ceremony took place in Arlington National Cemetery on May 30, 1868. The keynote speaker that day was a young Ohio congressman and former Union general named James A. Garfield. In the shadow of the home once inhabited by Robert E. Lee, Garfield memorialized the Northern war dead but also reminded everyone what the war had truly been about, discussing slavery, freedom, civil rights, and more. This presentation will explore the origins of Decoration Day but also the themes on which future President James A. Garfield spoke on that first Decoration Day and their lasting importance.
The presentation begins at 11 AM on May 18 at the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum. The presentation will be pay-what-you-please.
Todd Arrington is the Site Manager of James A. Garfield National Historic Site in Mentor, Ohio. As a career National Park Service historian and park ranger, he has also worked at Homestead National Monument of America in Nebraska and Gettysburg National Historic Site & Eisenhower National Historic Site, both in Pennsylvania. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army and holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Arrington has been published many times on subjects related to the American Civil War and westward expansion. His essay “Industry and Economy during the Civil War” was published in The Civil War Remembered, the National Park Service’s official handbook commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. He writes and edits for the popular history blogs We’re History and Emerging Civil War, and his book ‘The Triumphs of Liberty and Law’: The Presidential Election of 1880 will be published later this year by the University Press of Kansas. In discussing relevant history and National Park Service news and events, he has spoken at dozens of academic conferences and appeared on PBS, C-SPAN, numerous television and radio news programs, Radio Free Europe, and National Public Radio. He appeared in the PBS American Experience documentary Murder of a President about James A. Garfield in 2016.
Arrington has taught history and humanities courses at several northeast Ohio colleges, including Lake Erie College, John Carroll University, Lorain County Community College, and Lakeland Community College. He is a member of the Organization of American Historians and the Northeast Ohio Civil War Round Table.

The Golden Age of Magic - Spiritualism and 19th Century Illusions
2019-05-04 17:00 - 19:30 | Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum, 437 7th Street NW, Washington, 20004, United States
Join professional illusionist and magic historian Michael Cantori for a deep dive into spiritualism, seances, and 19th-century illusions.
Magician Michael Cantori
Travel back in time with illusionist Michael Cantori for a lecture, demonstration, and performance that will leave you amazed, enlightened, and attempting to communicate with your ancestors long since departed.
We will wind our way through tales of magic and spiritualism in the late 19th-century, long thought of as the “Golden Age of Magic.” There will be talk of the Fox Sisters’ mysterious rappings, Houdini’s own complicated relationship with spiritualism, and how to experiment on your own with friends and family—departed or otherwise.
Locally-raised, Cantori is a full-time illusionist who crafts and designs his own magical apparatuses that he also provides to some of the finest craftspeople in the world. He’s written books and taught graduate level courses on the history of magic. As a performer, he’s showcased his skills for senators, royalty, and rock stars.
This event takes place at the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office, the one-time home and office of American Red Cross founder Clara Barton. Barton was herself a believer in spiritualism and often spoke of communicating with deceased loved ones while living in this boardinghouse on 7th Street.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS:

There are two performance times for this event, 5:00 pm & 6:30 pm. Your ticket grants you entry only to the performance time that you’ve selected.
This event is interactive! There will be chances for the audience to help Cantori demonstrate effects and tricks.
This event is easily accessible via public transportation. It’s a three-minute walk from the Archives/Navy Memorial station on Metro’s yellow line and a nine-minute walk from Metro Center station on the red, orange, blue, and silver lines.
For those choosing to drive, metered street parking is available but can be extremely difficult to find. If you plan to drive, please give yourself ample time to locate parking in the area around Capital One Arena.

Tickets are sold out for this event
QUESTIONS?
Email Matt Blitz at matt@atlasobscura.com
Advance tickets only. All sales final. No refunds or exchanges.

Within These Walls: Contraband Hospital and the African Americans Who Served There
2019-04-11 18:00 - 19:00 | Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum, 437 7th Street NW, Washington, 20004, United States
Discover the incredible story of those who worked to save lives at Contraband Hospital in Washington DC during the Civil War
School at a contraband camp near Washington. Courtesy of the National Archives
On April 11 at 6:00 PM at the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum, join exhibition specialist and curator Jill Newmark as she discusses her research on Contraband Hospital.
The story of African American medical personnel who served during the Civil War is an often overlooked and neglected part of Civil War history. This presentation will explore one hospital in Washington, D.C. that treated black soldiers and civilians and reveal the stories of the African American nurses and surgeons who served there.
The presentation begins at 6 PM on April 11 at the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum. The presentation will be pay-what-you-please.
Jill L. Newmark is an exhibition specialist and curator at the US National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the National Institutes of Health. She has worked in the History of Medicine Division of NLM for the past 15 years where she is conducting research on African American medical personnel that served during the American Civil War. She has curated several exhibitions including Binding Wounds, Pushing Boundaries: African Americans in Civil War Medicine and has authored several articles that have appeared in Prologue magazine, the quarterly publication of the National Archives, Traces, a publication of the Indiana Historical Society, and several online publications and blogs. She is currently working on a book on African American Civil War Surgeons.

"Healthcare on the Frontlines" - Maryland International Film Festival
2019-03-31 11:00 - 12:00 | Maryland Theater, 21 S Potomac St, Hagerstown, MD, 21740, United States
See the premier of “Healthcare on the Frontlines” – a documentary film connecting the response to the healthcare crisis of the Civil War to today.
“Heathcare on the Frontlines” documentary cover image
How are individuals to respond in the face of overwhelming moments of crisis? That’s one of the many questions examined by “Healthcare on the Frontlines,” a documentary by Coronation Media making its debut at the Maryland International Film Festival in Hagerstown, MD on March 31 at 11 AM. The film compares the work of “Mission of Mercy,” an organization based in Frederick that provides free healthcare to the community, with the work of Clara Barton during and after the Civil War.
The film was made in partnership with the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, and the Delaplaine Foundation. It extensively compares the actions of Clara Barton with the work of Mission of Mercy and finds surprising parallels between them. Despite a century and a half in time, the needs of vulnerable Americans have not changed significantly. By looking to the past, the film offers some unexpected lessons for the present.
The film will begin playing at 11:00 AM at the Maryland Theater in Hagerstown. Tickets are $8 per person. In addition to single movie tickets, day passes and weekend passes are available.
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS TO HEALTHCARE ON THE FRONTLINES
CLICK HERE TO SEE WEEKEND PASS DEALS

Clara Barton at Andersonville
2019-03-28 18:00 - 19:00 | Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum, 437 7th Street NW, Washington, 20004, United States
Clara Barton played an important role in one of the most infamous prison camps of the American Civil War – Andersonville.
Clara Barton and Andersonville
Historian Mary Kate Robbett will discuss Clara Barton and her relationship with the infamous Confederate prison in Georgia at the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office on Thursday, March 28, 2019 at 6:00 PM.
The current historiography on Civil War prisons discusses Andersonville’s uses and meanings during Reconstruction, but offers only passing mention of Barton. Robbett’s presentation will look at the ways Barton’s public work fits into the larger story of Americans’ memories of Andersonville as well as Barton’s contributions to the postwar conversation and rhetoric about the treatment of POWs.
Mary Kate Robbett is a PhD student at Northwestern University. Her studies focus on nineteenth-century U.S. history, with a particular interest the intersections of sociocultural and military history. Prior to attending Northwestern, she worked at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and received her master’s degree in Museum Studies at George Washington University.

Meet the Artist – Peter Waddell
2019-03-16 13:00 - 14:30 | Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum, 437 7th Street NW, Washington, 20004, United States
Tour the Missing Soldiers Office and learn about the inspiration behind the mural from award winning artist Peter Waddell
Award Winning Local Artist Peter Waddell
Join us on March 16, 2019 at 1 PM at the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office to hear artist Peter Waddell discuss his work on a new mural detailing Barton’s life during the Civil War era.
The talk will begin at 1 PM in the first floor visitor center at the Missing Soldiers Office. This is a pay-what-you-please event – donations are encouraged to support Peter’s work.
At 1:30, there will be a guided tour of the Missing Soldiers Office detailing the history of the building, Clara Barton, and the connections to the scenes that are being memorialized in Waddell’s mural.
Photography is encouraged. Don’t miss this opportunity to see a mural come to life and meet award-winning local artist Peter Waddell!

Forensic and Archaeological Investigation of Civil War Military Remains
2019-02-28 18:00 - 19:30 | Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum, 437 7th Street NW, Washington, 20004, United States
*Registration for this event is now full.*
Renowned forensic anthropologist Dr. Douglas Owsley will discuss his work and how he’s helped to reveal the stories of those who fought in the Civil War.

Join us at the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum on Thursday, February 28, 2019 at 6 PM as Dr. Douglas Owsley discusses his work with the remains of Civil War soldiers. Dr. Owsley recently participated in the recovery of the remains of two Union soldiers at Manassas National Military Park in Virginia.
Over the past three decades, Smithsonian forensic anthropologists have examined the skeletons of several hundred soldiers. Unmarked military burials have been disturbed by construction projects, exposed by natural processes such as erosion or animal burrowing, and found by relic hunters using metal detectors. Under specific circumstances, military burials have been recovered and evaluated through archaeological investigations
This presentation will demonstrate how a forensic investigative process contributes to American military history.
This is a “pay-what-you-please” program. Pre-registration is required.
Register Here
About the speaker

Douglas W. Owsley, Division Head for Physical Anthropology at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., is considered one of the foremost forensic anthropologists at work today. He has identified remains from news-making crime scenes, mass disasters, and war zones. Owsley received his B.S. degree in Zoology from the University of Wyoming and his Ph.D. in Physical Anthropology from the University of Tennessee. Doug is fascinated with the wealth of information that can be recovered by studying the human skeleton – not just the cause of death, but also details about the life of a person. In addition to forensic casework, he conducts extensive research on historic and prehistoric populations from North America. These include the remains of 17th-century colonists, Civil War soldiers, and ancient Americans – such as the nearly 9,000 year-old Kennewick Man. Highlights of his work at Jamestown and Historic St. Mary’s City were featured in an exhibition at the National Museum of Natural History entitled Written in Bone: Forensic Files of the 17th-Century Chesapeake (2009-2014).

20th Annual Longwood University Civil War Seminar
2019-02-09 08:30 - 16:00
Hear an esteemed group of speakers at the 20th Annual Longwood University Civil War Seminar in Farmville, Virginia
Longwood University logo featuring the Jarman Auditorium exterior
On Saturday February 9, 2019, attend a free, day long Civil War seminar in Farmville, Virginia in the Jarman Auditorium at Longwood University. The 20th Annual Longwood University Civil War Seminar, presented in partnership with Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, will focus on Civil War Discoveries. The seminar goes from 8:30 AM – 3:45 PM with intermittent breaks.
Among an excellent group of speakers, Jake Wynn, Director of Interpretation at the Missing Soldiers Office and the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, will be speaking about the incredible discovery of the Missing Soldiers Office. See the full schedule below.
This is a free, off-site event in Farmville, Virginia in the Jarman Auditorium at Longwood University.
This annual seminar is in its 20th year and is free and open to the public.
Saturday, February 9
8:30 am Doors open
9:00 am Introduction by Dr. David Coles
9:10 am John Quarstein – The Ship that Saved the Nation: The Monitor’s recovery and conservation
10:15 am Jake Wynn – Discovering Clara Barton’s Missing Soldier Office
11:30 am Edwin C. Bearss – Recovering the U.S.S. Cairo from the Mississippi
12:30 pm Lunch
1:45 pm Caroline Janney – We Were Not Surrendered: Paroling Lee’s Army After Appomattox
2:45 pm Brandon Bies – Field Hospital Burials Unearthed

The Washington Navy Yard and the Civil War
2019-01-17 18:00 - 19:00 | Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum, 437 7th Street NW, Washington, 20004, United States
Discover the history of Washington’s Naval Yard, one of Washington DC’s best kept secrets.
Sketch of the Washington Navy Yard
Come hear historian Tom Frezza outline the Civil War history of the Washington Navy Yard on January 17 at 6 PM at the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum.
For most people, the Washington Navy Yard is just another walled off military complex in the District. But behind these walls is a rich history spanning from 1798 to the present. The time period during the American Civil War was no exception. During the war, the Navy Yard was an integral part of the defense of Washington. From the early days of the war, when Commandant Franklin Buchanan resigned his commission to join the Confederacy, leaving the Yard to Commander John A. Dahlgren, to the dark last days of the war when Lincoln assassination conspirators were brought to the Yard following their capture, the Washington Navy Yard witnessed it all. Come and learn about the history of one of the best kept secrets of Washington DC.
The presentation begins at 6 PM on January 17 at the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum. The presentation will be pay-what-you-please.
Thomas Frezza is the Director of Education at the National Museum of the United States Navy. Originally from Rhode Island, he received in bachelors in Parks, Recreation and Eco Tourism from Unity College in Maine in 2008, after which he moved to the area to work for the National Park Service at Harpers Ferry. In 2010 he received his master’s in History from Shippensburg University, while also starting a job with the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. Working his way up through the ranks of the museum, he developed staff and docent training, wrote and facilitated tours, and worked with artifacts in his final position as Collections Manager. Today he leads programs, develops curriculum, writes and leads tours, and is one of the public faces of the National Museum of the United States Navy. When not in the museum Tom can be found touring other museums and historic sites, and volunteering his time as an interpreter at many of them. He is also known for backpacking with his wife and two dogs.

The Life Of Dr. Edward Stonestreet - 19th Century Doctor
2018-12-06 18:00 - 19:00 | Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum, 437 7th Street NW, Washington, 20004, United States
Learn about the real life of a Civil War surgeon and see how it compares to the portrayal of Civil War medicine in the PBS series Mercy Street.
Clarence portraying Dr. Stonestreet at Rock Creek Park
Come hear living historian Clarence Hickey discuss the life of Civil War contract surgeon Dr. Edward Stonestreet on December 6 at 6 PM at the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum.
Dr. Edward Stonestreet practiced medicine from 1852 until his death in 1903, in Rockville, MD. He was educated at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Dr. Stonestreet served as an Examining Surgeon for Montgomery County, MD, during the Federal draft of 1862. It is estimated that he examined more than 800 men.
During 1862 – 1863, Dr. Stonestreet served with the U.S. Army as an Acting Assistant Surgeon (Contract Surgeon). During late 1862 and early 1863, he treated the living wounded after the Battle of Antietam in a temporary Army General Hospital, in Rockville, while they were enroute from Frederick, MD to long term care in new Army pavilion style, state-of-the-art, hospitals in Washington, DC, and in Alexandria, VA. During the first half of 1863, Dr. Stonestreet attended the ill soldiers of the 6th Michigan Cavalry Regiment prior to their involvement in the Battle of Gettysburg.
Dr. Stonestreet’s life, his medical training, practice, and Army service paralleled those of fictitious Dr. Jed Foster of the PBS 2016 special Civil War series Mercy Street, or was it the other way around? These similarities will be discussed, along with the details of Dr. Stonestreet’s life and service in a PowerPoint slide lecture using many photos from the Civil War and 19th century eras. Clarence also will discuss his 20th century experience serving in a U.S. Army Civil War pavilion style hospital during the Vietnam era. There were many such Army hospitals in the U.S. and other countries for more than 100 years after the Civil War.
The presentation will take place on December 6 at 6:00 PM at the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum. It will be a “pay-what-you-please” presentation.
Clarence Hickey is a Master Docent and reenactor with the Montgomery County Historical Society, MD, and its Stonestreet Museum of 19th Century Medicine. Clarence holds a BS degree in biology and an MS degree in marine biology. During the Vietnam War era, Clarence was drafted into the U.S. Army Medical Service (AMEDS) in 1966. He served from 1966 – 1968 as a medical laboratory specialist, blood banking technician, and general hospital medic at Fort Campbell, KY, stateside home of the 101st Airborne Division. The U.S. Army Hospital, Fort Campbell, was built in 1942 and was of the pavilion style design (or cantonment style design) following those built and operated during the Civil War. Clarence is the author of four books, one of which is Dr. Stonestreet’s award winning biography, Send for the Doctor, published in 2009 by Montgomery County Historical Society. Clarence offers historical programs about Dr. Stonestreet in first person, reenactments with a life-sized mannequin patient, lectures, PowerPoint slide shows, and through written articles and his book. Clarence is a member of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine and the Society of Civil War Surgeons. In 2014, Clarence was certified as a Master Docent by the Frederick Historic Sites Consortium. Clarence is a retired federal civil servant in environmental sciences and has served as a volunteer interpretive nature guide.

Special Exhibition - "War on Our Doorsteps"
2018-11-03 11:00 - 17:00, 2018-11-02 11:00 - 17:00, 2018-11-01 11:00 - 17:00, 2018-10-27 11:00 - 17:00, 2018-10-26 11:00 - 17:00, 2018-10-25 11:00 - 17:00, 2018-10-20 11:00 - 17:00, 2018-10-19 11:00 - 17:00 and 6 more dates | Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum, 437 7th Street NW, Washington, 20004, United States
When Alexander Gardner’s stunning photographs of the Antietam battlefield were publicly displayed in 1862, they changed how Americans saw war forever. For a limited time, you can relive that sobering exhibition at the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office.
A photograph captured in the aftermath of the Battle of Antietam by Alexander Gardner. (LOC)
“Bringing the War to Our Doorsteps” is a temporary installation restaging the exhibition of Alexander Gardner’s photographs taken at Antietam in September 1862. It is a rare chance for visitors to experience what viewers did more than 155 years ago as the Civil War raged.
Display prints have been made to the same dimensions and style of the originals from high-definition digital files made available by the Library of Congress. To enhance the visitor’s experience, there will be a 3-D theatre to view the photos, which were shot with stereoscopic cameras, in the way they were originally intended. Its purpose is to explore the evolving view of war-time photography from the Civil War to today and how modern media has contributed to American attitudes about armed conflict. The exhibition has been extended through November 3, 2018.
It is staged throughout the Missing Soldiers Office Museum, a space where Clara Barton lived and worked during the Civil War era. From her boardinghouse, she founded the Missing Soldiers Office and assisted thousands of grieving families in the search for their missing loved ones at the conclusion of our nation’s bloodiest conflict.
“It is not [for viewers] to bear witness to the fidelity of views which the truthful sunbeam has delineated in all their dread reality,” wrote Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. after viewing the original exhibition in New York City in 1862. “The sight of these pictures is a commentary on civilization such as the savage might well triumph to show its missionaries.”
Visiting the exhibition is included with admission to the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum and is free for Museum members. The exhibition will be on display until November 3, 2018 and will be available during normal operating hours (11:00am – 5:00pm, Thurs-Sat) and by appointment. Contact Director of Programming Katie Reichard for more information about appointments and group visits: katie.reichard@civilwarmed.org or 301-695-1864.
In addition to the exhibition’s extension, the creator of “Bringing the War to Our Doorsteps,” Bob Kozak, will be speaking about the photographs at the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office on October 4. It is an exploration of how American society portrayed death at the start of the Civil War, how these photos were received in 1862, and how the coverage of war has evolved since the publication of Gardner’s images into the present day.
For more information about the exhibition, contact Jake Wynn at jake.wynn@civilwarmed.org.

Cut It Off! An Amputation Demonstration at the Missing Soldiers Office
2018-10-28 17:30 - 19:00 | Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum, 437 7th Street NW, Washington, 20004, United States
The Missing Soldiers Office is partnering with Atlas Obscura to explore the history of amputations and the American Civil War.

Jake Wynn, a Civil War medical historian from the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, will demonstrate Civil War era amputation techniques using a gel leg using authentic 19th-century tools. The leg, made from a forensic gel and simulated bone, looks, feels, and even sounds remarkably like the real thing.
Museum staff will also bring some bone saws, Minié balls, medical kits and other objects related to the history of amputation for us to view. They will be on hand to answer your questions about surgery in the pre-antiseptic, pre-antibiotic era in Washington’s Civil War hospitals.
Wynn will also discuss the medical treatment administered to the tens of thousands of refugees, many of whom were escaping slavery, who arrived in Washington during the Civil War. They were housed in several “contraband camps” in the vicinity of the nation’s capital and the medical care they received differed significantly from that given to wounded and sick soldiers.
Our program will also include a brief tour of the Missing Soldiers Office and the story of how the building was saved from destruction in the 1990s—a tale that has its own ghostly climax.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS:
Photographs are encouraged, but flash photography is not allowed.
This event is easily accessible via public transportation. It’s a three-minute walk from the Archives/Navy Memorial station on Metro’s yellow line and a nine-minute walk from Metro Center station on the red, orange, blue, and silver lines.
For those choosing to drive, metered street parking is available but can be extremely difficult to find. If you plan to drive, please give yourself ample time to locate parking in the area around Capital One Arena.
While not bloody, this event does focus on a gory and violent subject with a realistic simulation. We recommend none under the age of 13 attend this event.
Get Your Tickets Here
