Existing comment:
November 4, 2010,
Welcome to Clara Barton's Missing Soldier's Office:
As we prepare to commemorate the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War, the National Museum of Civil War Medicine is proud to have been selected by the General Services Administration (GSA) to remember a woman who worked tirelessly tending to wounds that no bandage or medicine could heal. Her third floor walk-up would become headquarters for the research and recovery of information about a family's son, husband, brother, or betrothed -- a place where in the aftermath of a horrific civil war, there was a possibility of reunion or at the very least, closure.
Though most of us have heard of Clara Barton, Angel of the Battlefield, the opening of Clara Barton's Missing Soldier's Office Museum will give us an opportunity to know and understand a complete person. A woman, who broke glass ceilings before there was even a term for such a thing; a woman who exemplified the servant leader; a woman who's [sic] life and work embodied the true spirit of humanitarianism, will finally be given the recognition that she so richly deserves.
The National Museum of Civil War Medicine is the premier center for the preservation and research of the legacy of Civil War Medicine innovation and humanitarianism. As a living institution, we utilize artifacts, storytelling and the historic lessons derived from that era to educate the public and define the impact on today's society.
I believe that if we study history for history's sake, then it is no more than a hobby. But when we are able to engage a modern audience with historical perspectives, innovations and insights and help them to relate those innovations and insights directly to their life and world today, we are helping to change our community and our world for the better. The Board of Directors and Staff of the NMCWM are honored to bring Clara Barton's life and legacy into clearer focus as we prepare to open the Clara Barton Missing Soldier's Office Museum.
George Wunderlich
Executive Director |