We had a busy week last week. Not only did W have a field trip to Jamestown, but A also had a field trip with our homeschool group to the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum in DC. The group then went to the American Red Cross Building for a tour, but we had to leave early to pick up W after school.
On our stroll to meet up with our group we passed by the U.S. Navy Memorial. As a former Navy Brat, I felt the need to check it out. We didn't have enough time to explore the visitor's center so we only looked at the beautifully made bronze plaques that represent different aspects important to the Navy, enjoyed the look and sound of the fountains, and grabbed a few snapshots next to the sailor statue with his sea bag (The Lone Sailor).
We easily found the Clara Barton place up the next block. So... who was Clara Barton??
She was known as the Angel of the Battlefield for her help in dozens of civil war battles. She then started the missing soldiers office to keep track of the dead and missing during the war and inform families. But I think what she is most well-known for was founding the American Red Cross (hence the second part of the field trip that we didn't get to attend).
The building that houses the museum used to be a jewelry store, offices, and house boarders (of which Clara Barton was one). Sometime in the early 1900's the top 2 floors were essentially closed off so as not to require buildig code updates and were only used for storage. In the 1990's the place was supposed to be torn down, but through some serendipitous experiences a discovery was made that uncovered untouched artifacts unknown for over 100 years. You can now see what the place truly looked like! The original staircase and layouts! It hadn't been changed.
We ended up learning a lot and had a great tour guide! He was very friendly and was wonderful speaking to all our kids. If you are spending some extra time in DC I encourage you to check out this place with it's interesting history.
http://www.clarabartonmuseum.org
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