5801 Oxford Rd

Glen Echo, MD

Clara Barton (b. December 25, 1821; d. April 12, 1912) was a humanitarian, teacher, nurse—and both the founder and first president of the American Red Cross. She was fearless in her pursuits and passionate about helping others. She became a teacher when there were few women teachers and forwent a salary so that children could attend school at no cost. She took to the battlefield as a nurse to tend to wounded soldiers during the Civil War (earning her the nickname "the angel of the battlefield"). And in the mid-1850s, she moved to DC to work as a clerk at the U.S. Patent Office, becoming one of the first female federal employees. Barton founded the American Red Cross in 1881, creating the organization’s headquarters in Glen Echo, Maryland, in this house—her home until her death in 1912. The house, located at 5801 Oxford Road, is now a National Historic Landmark.