Clara Barton Trail
Follow in the footsteps of the “Angel of the Battlefield” and discover how Clara Barton overcame tremendous obstacles in order to help others. The legacy of her humanitarian work continues to affect and improve our world today.
Begin your day at the Pry House Field Hospital Museum on Antietam National Battlefield and discover what it really took to be the “Angel of the Battlefield.” It was at the Battle of Antietam that Barton earned her famous nickname when she braved the battlefield as a nurse and first responder on one of the bloodiest days of American history. The supplies and care she brought to the frontlines were essential in the days immediately after the battle.
Travel from the scenic foothills of Western Maryland to the nation’s Capital, just as Barton did after Antietam. Visit Clara Barton’s boarding house home, the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum. Explore the space she used as a staging area before she went to nurse soldiers on several Civil War battlefields. After the Civil War, Barton used the same space for her Missing Soldiers Office. From 1865-1868, Barton discovered the location of over 22,000 missing soldiers.
Finish your day at the American Red Cross Headquarters. In founding the American Red Cross, Barton institutionalized her humanitarian legacy in the United States. This final stop is the perfect place to learn more about the continuing impact Clara Barton has had on our world.