A Look Inside The Maryland Home Of Suffragette Clara Barton As 100th Anniversary Of 19th Amendment Nears
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- This year marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote.
WJZ toured the home of Clara Barton, a famous Marylander whose impact on the push for women's suffrage still resonates to this day.
Barton was more than just the founder of the American Red Cross and school teacher; she became an angel of the battlefield, volunteering to help soldiers even during the first bloodshed of the Civil War miles away in Baltimore.
"When the war was over, at the advice of her doctor who felt she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, she went to Europe to recover from war and stress, and in Europe, learned of the Red Cross," Kevin Patti, of the National Park Service, said.
By that time in the 1800s, The Red Cross was only known to help during the war in Switzerland. The logo is the Switzerland flag but inside out. In 1881, Barton convinced America this would help during natural disasters. Today, the American Red Cross receives millions of dollars in donations.
"This home really reflects her personality," Patti said. "You can see shes frugal and resourceful. She's creative and she's very dedicated to her work."
After all of Barton's work, The founders of the Glen Echo community wanted a celebrity in town. They built her home for free, where it still stands today.
"This is the first National Historic Site that recognizes the accomplishments of a woman, so this being just one part of a lot of the civil war history from the Nation's Capital, this is a central point for us," Kelly Groff, of Montgomery County Tourism, said.
Tours are available at the Clara Barton National Historic Site every Friday and Saturday between the hours of 1 and 4.