Working in Washington D.C.!

        Hi again everyone! For this fun post I get to talk about one of our satellite museums, the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office in Washington D.C.  So far I have only worked in the main museum with a few trips out but this weekend I was assigned to D.C.  It was very exciting for me because I have heard so many good things about it such as the originality of the building and such an intimate connection to Clara Barton and her post Civil War work.  I took the Metro to D.C. with a coworker, Emily, and she gave me a private tour of the place which I really enjoyed because she was able to teach me so much about Clara’s work there.  Through private study and the museum I have really upped my knowledge of her but to see the spaces she worked and lived in really brought it home to me.  I was definitely loving it.

The original sign Clara Barton hung up at the Missing Soldiers Office.  On loan from U.S. General Services Administration.

                A little backstory on the building is that from 1865 to 1868 Clara rented a series of rooms on the third floor.  It is only a few blocks from the National Mall and the Patent Building that she once worked at.  She and her small staff worked in this building (she had her own bedroom as well) where they responded to both in-person visitors and letters  relating to soldiers that had unknown fates during the war.  Soldiers were often buried on or near battlefields and in order for a family to secure a pension or have the comfort of knowing where a loved one was buried they came to Clara Barton often.  Her office eventually succeeded in finding approximately 22,000 soldiers.  After that she placed many of her belongings in the attic of this building and the third floor was boarded up.  I find it really hard to believe but the third floor where she did so much good was basically forgotten about until the 1990s when the building was slated for demolition.  I mean, how do you lose a whole floor of building in a highly desirable city where real estate is slim? I’ll never know but it did happen.

                In 1997 Richard Lyons went up into the previously boarded up floor and began poking around the attic.  In there he discovered socks, documents, and all sorts of other items and he saw the historic signifcance of it all.  After that it was worked a little bit to make it a bit safer such as putting in an elevator and redoing wallpaper but other than that it is all original as Clara Barton left it in 1868.  I could not believe the fantastic condition of everything.  It was just like Pry House except arguably better.  The floors were completely original so Clara and hundreds of others walked those very floorboards and the doors were original so I opened doors that so many others did as they sought answers about their loved ones.  Because it was locked up and undiscovered for so  long the  place isn’t  wired up with electricity and plumbing.  It is a virtually untouched time capsule of rooms from 1868.  It’s like striking the historic lottery and winning! The wallpaper in a vast majority of the rooms were recreations of the patterns and colors that were selected by Clara so that was very cool to see.  They aren’t like the patterns I am used to seeing so it was very cool to see what she selected.  They really stood out as well in the empty rooms. In one room there is a cutout of Clara and in her bedroom (where the discovery was made) there is Lyons ladder the hole in the ceiling but otherwise the space is pure and empty. 

Clara Barton's bedroom in the MSO with replica wallpaper and original floor.  The ladder is Richard Lyons along with the hole to the attic.

                One of my favorite bits beyond the original floor and doors was the sections that still had original wallpaper on them.  Since it’s been almost 150 years it has of course faded and been damaged with time so the bright pinks and blues she chose are gone but the fabric remains.  Much it has been removed and replaced with the recreations but in some spots it was left so that visitors could see it.  I really loved it because most of the time the pattern could be seen and it blended flawlessly with the modern parts.  I have not seen stuff like that before so I really appreciated the effort to keep the original stuff.  In some places signatures could be seen of the people who put the wallpaper with the year which was also fantastic.  All of these spots are covered with protective layers to prevent further damage. 

Posing with a section of original wallpaper.  The pattern blends flawlessly  with the rest when looked at closely.

                I was like a kid in a candy shop asking Emily to take pictures of me with various parts because you had better believe that I was going to document this trip.  I felt so lucky and fortunate to be able to walk around the place Clara Barton on the floor she did with the doors and wallpaper.  Just like seeing her birthplace I know it is not the place that was remarkable but the person but I mean come on…everyone needs to have something to geek out over and I do it with historic artifacts.  Time capsule  buildings don’t exist everywhere and this one is so perfect.  It was heavenly.

The  orignal number 9 door that people would have come to see her at.  There is a small mail slot on the lower left of the door.  It cost her 50 cents to install it.

                Emily finished my tour by showing me the original staircase used by Clara and countless others to go directly to the Missing Soldiers Office. It was a very long and tall staircase since it went from street level all the way to the third floor.  She pointed out the section of wall a little way from the top where the barrier began that had hid the third floor away from people for so long.  There was lots of natural light from the street and windows in the middle of the building.  The floorboards were worn but still fantastic considering their age.  There is a runner placed over them now for protection but you can still see the steps, the color and everything else.  Again I nerded out and took lots of pictures. 

View from third floor to street level entrance.  The wall that blocked access to third floor can be seen on the right about half way down the stairs .

                Clara Barton and her work in the missing soldiers office was instrumental to the postwar years by helping so many find the answers they desperately sought.  This kind of a discovery is rare and deserves to be treated with great respect and I am very happy to have such an opportunity to visit it like I did.  I spent the rest of the day downstairs working with visitors who I hope enjoyed this time capsule as much as I did.  We had a family of six come in who were big Clara Barton (they had recently visited her Glen Echo home), a few nice couples and a man from England.  The main museum is a historic building but it often doesn’t feel like it so it was nice to work in a building that did feel historic.  Anyways, lots of stuff to do today so I’ll you all later because I might start giving tours later this week!   

Did you say Clara Barton?

                Alright then everyone I am back with another blog! This one is a bit early and short because I had an exciting weekend and I just had to tell you all! I had the opportunity to visit with some family.  My cousin was a trooper and drove down to get me so major props to him. I haven’t seen any of them in a very long time so I went to Massachusetts for some quality bonding time.  While I went there for family fun I also did some unintentional work because my cousin mentioned something offhand to me. As we were driving around admiring some beautiful New England fall foliage (it really is something quite spectacular to see) we stopped  to get some gas.  I had asked what there was in the area  to do  besides admire the leaves and he mentioned an old house related to Clara Barton.  I immediately got excited and asked if he was serious.  I  mean how many Clara Barton’s can there be? He said it was an old house not too far from our location so I said we had to go see it.  I told him if this was what I thought it could be than it would be great because we have a whole exhibit here at the museum about Clara Barton plus our newest satellite museum in D.C., the Clara Barton Missing Soldier’s Office museum.  Everyone at work would be interested to hear about this.

                While we drove there we passed the most beautiful little stream with a stone bridge that we stopped at for more pictures.  Massachusetts really is jaw-droppingly beautiful in the fall and I absolutely recommend visiting if  you can.  We found Clara Barton Road (what else could you name the street she was born on?) and passed many houses before we got to the very end of the street past a Diabetes care center also named after her.  This was the Clara Barton birthplace.  The house is a lovely two story building next to a carriage house.  It has white paint and green trim with a green door with a knocker.  It sits on the corner and has a large sign to mark the significance of that building.  I stood there for a few minutes in awe of  the building   Clara Barton, one of the most famous women of the Civil War, had been born and lived here a period of time. 

The front of her home.  Just visible is the name of the street, Clara Barton Road.

                Clara Barton, if you don’t know already, was nicknamed the Angel of the Battlefield due to her services as a nurse during the Civil War.  She was at some of the most well known battles including Antietam where she was famously shot through the sleeve while nursing a dying soldier (the bullet that missed her killed him).  She collected food and bandages as well as donated her own money to help supply the soldiers and often brought them sweets.  After the war ended in 1865, she opened the Missing Soldiers Office in Washington, D.C. where for three years she helped families identify and/or locate their loved ones.  Many soldiers went missing or lost contact with family and she helped families find the bodies so that many received the comfort of knowing what happened to them or could secure pensions.  Her office eventually found over 22,000 soldiers in three years.  Eventually she founded the American Red Cross which still works actively to this day bringing aid to everyone.  One heck of a person if you ask me.

                I know that the house didn’t do anything special and that it was what she eventually became that was so special about her but it was still very cool of my cousin to show me this house.  We came late in the day so it was closed to visitors but I might just try to go back someday when it is open.  Maybe I can talk to them about all the stuff we have here at the museum like her trunk bed, her Missing Soldiers Office sign or other items.  I would love to get a tour of her childhood home since I imagine the inside is as nice as the outside. 

The sign so there can't be any mistaking where I was.

                I didn’t plan to see anything work related this past weekend but to see Clara Barton’s birthplace home…well, it definitely was a big part of why I enjoyed that day so much. 

Enjoy this beautiful picture as well.

Collections room tour!

                               This week was definitely very enjoyable for me here at the museum since I have a lot of different things going on right now.  I survived my weekend shift.  Hooray! The museum was VERY VERY busy on Saturday and a bit on Sunday but people told me that was to be expected.  It was nice seeing downtown a lot more active that it usually is.  Got to meet a lot of different people as well.  I did promise that I would write about my tour of the collections room that Lori the curator was giving me so let’s get to it.  It did indeed happen and I went through with some other staff.  It was very exciting to see all of the different things we have in that room since these are the artifacts not on display currently (for various reasons such as needing a break from being exhibited, too fragile or does not fit in a current exhibit theme).  The room is one large space with tons of enormous filing cabinets that go on average to about chest height or maybe a little more.  Some resembled closets as well because they were so tall and had swinging doors and on the far side of the room nearest the entrance was several large shelves that held the largest items.  Lori began the tour in the back room with artifacts that were hanging on the wall.  It included things like paintings, some framed documents and currency used during the war. 

                I knew beforehand that I would be interested in everything in this room but I did linger in a few places more than the others.  One was at the wall since I had never seen genuine money from the time before, only copies.  A small distance away and inside a cabinet Lori pulled out two documents that had been signed by President Lincoln and President Johnson.  I definitely became excited here since I have not seen an original document signed by Lincoln before.  Some in the group had before so they didn’t share my excitement  level but we all oo’d over the original still.  The document was in great condition and none of its color or ink had faded in the decades since it had been signed.  I am probably reading too much into it but it is great to “geek out” as Lori says because we all have things we are passionate over and I am glad that I can live out my passion here in the museum with others who share it.  Before my arrival here I didn’t know many people who would want to willingly stare at a piece of paper just because Lincoln signed it.

                We then saw the tall cabinets that were filled with books from the time about medical care and other related topics.  Books during the 19^th century had covers that were so much more colorful and detailed I think.   Lots of different colors and fonts on the covers with little designs or just plain and simple.  It was an impressive collection that in order to be preserved needs to be handled very little so I’ll just have to look for modern reprints if I want to read them.  Oh the life of a historian.  I want to touch it but in order to keep it for future generations I have to not. 

                Lori continued to open the short cabinets and pulled out artifacts such as the amputation kits, stethoscopes, bottles (which were sometimes very colorful depending on what kind of liquid had been inside) and the personal items of soldiers.  One very clever item we saw was a collapsible mirror used for shaving.  The glass had broken away from the wooden frame so the soldier had used wax to hold it in place and it was still there all this time later.  There was also a collapsible cup in the same drawer.  A favorite of everyone present though was when we got to the drawer that held some Clara Barton items.  Lori first pulled the original sign Barton had hung up to show the location of her Missing Soldiers Office. Many people are often surprised at how tiny the sign is and it is true, it is definitely small.  The paint has held up and the four small holes she put through it are still in good shape.  You can just see them in the picture.

The original sign Barton hung up.  On loan from U.S. General Services Administration.

            We have a small collection of firearms with the bullets in a box and so we viewed those as well.  While I did not handle the guns myself (which was fine by me), Lori did.  She held them up and showed us the detail along one of them which was a scene containing multiple ships sailing by.  I really liked that touch because I just feel like more craftsmanship was on items in the past and now it is all factory produced in a hurry and everything is the same.  This gun could have a duplicate somewhere but to me it seems like an original.  She said that the guns also felt very light and natural to hold unlike some modern guns which felt more cumbersome to her.  The box of bullets was also very small and old but again, was in fantastic condition considering how much time had elapsed since they were made. 

The two guns with holster and bullet box.

                There was also a rubberized tent cover that soldiers would connect to each other in order to stay dry in wet weather.  In most cases two soldiers would connect theirs together but Lori has heard of three being attached sometimes.  The condition of this item was great but it was carefully folded into a box and covered so we did not view it all spread out.  You can still see the words and the rubber actually so it was impressive to view this item.  It is on loan to us as the moment as is the Clara Barton items from the U.S. General Services Administration. 

The rubberized tent cover.  On loan from U.S. General Services Administration.

                I was silly and forgot my camera that day I did not take any pictures so credit to Sara for letting me use the ones she took.  There are several artifacts I do not have pictures that I was very excited to see.  The signed Lincoln document was the first one and then we have two coats, one Union and one Confederate very carefully covered and cared for.   These are among the first real coats I have seen (I have definitely seen some of the coats worn by medical personnel we have in our exhibits) and the condition was amazing! The colors were still bright with no discernable damage and I was only feet away.  The urge to feel them was intense but the historian in me knows better.  Don’t touch the artifacts! There were also boots owned by a surgeon and the nail head could be seen in the sole.  Cool stuff!

                There were also collapsible chairs used in the camps, a number of stretchers and even a dentist chair that had two attachments (the table for holding tools and a frame that would have held the bowl to be spit into).  One of the very last things we looked at was the mummified hand.  Lori carefully removed it so that we could look at it and I saw that part of the palm had some kind of wound (tendons and other internal parts were visible) and that it was broken off near the elbow.  Lori said that testing had been done on the arm and it was determined that the limb was shot off, not amputated.  The limb had likely belonged to a young, white male around 17 years old.  It  had been found at the Antietam battlefield not too far from here.  On the 31^st this month the limb will be displayed as part of our special Halloween tour.  I think people will like to see it because hey, who wouldn’t want to meet (part of ) a Civil War veteran in the (mummified) flesh? Any laughs? Oh well, I laughed. 

                Well, I’ll see you all later with more news from the museum.

Continuing along...

Hi everybody! It’s Thursday again and this week I’ve been keeping busy as usual.  I didn’t travel anywhere this week but I have some plans to travel possibly so I’m super excited for that (more on that next week!).  For now though I have been working on the computer upstairs and then downstairs in admissions and the gift shop.  It is nice to get the change of pace going and I definitely get to interact with the public a lot when I am downstairs.  The office is also feeling loud and alive again now that everyone is back. 

                I have spent every morning this week working on the surveys that were taken during the conference in Georgia.  I need to take forty-odd surveys and make them into one easy to read table for the rest of the staff here.  I thought it would be quick work and done easily but I was mistaken.  Everyone is eager to hear what the attendees wrote down though so I need to get this completed but that will not be until early next week because I have a few projects to complete as well.  The results are interesting though because the vast majority of attendees gave everything 4’s and 5’s which is a positive sign and there were just a few that ranked things poorly.   I guess not everyone liked the food but hey, most people did so I chalk that up as a win.

In the process of being decorated for Halloween,

                Anyway, besides that I’ve been spending  the afternoons down at admissions and the gift shop.  I will be working by myself with Emily on hand if I need her this weekend so I need the practice closing up.  I like it downstairs because I get to talk to people and maybe tell them something they don’t know or learn from them.  A lot of people that visit us here are surprised at the artifacts we have such as the amputation table from Cedar Creek, surgeon  John C. Wiley of the 6^th New Jersey’s tent (one o f a kind) or that we’re among the most haunted buildings here in town.  That doesn’t deter people though (often it attracts them).  We get a lot of medical professionals coming through here so it is nice to hear their interest in the Civil War and often the foundation it has in their modern career.  After they go through I often ask how medicine compares from 150 years ago to now and many find it shockingly similar.  We will find out Monday though how my weekend working here went so stay tuned!

                So I have lots to finish  next week when I get back.  It should be fun because I will be getting to tour the Collections room with Lori the curator and a few other staff.  In that room is all the stuff that is not on display in the museum so it should be awesome.  I’ll get to see documents, photos, more amputation and medical kits along with a mummified hand from Antietam! I’ll try to get pictures for everyone.  Until next week!

Calm but interesting...also cake!

                Hi everyone! This week had the museum has been really good.  It has calmed down for me and gotten a bit more stable since Monday because I was given a bit more of a schedule and deadlines on projects to work on.  Last week was nice since it was my first week and I was watching and learning while being eased into things but now I’m watching/learning and doing some work for the museum with a few writing and researching projects.  It wasn’t without its fun though because here I’m always learning something new and interesting about the Civil War.

                I got to watch three tours this week with docents which meant watching them give a group a tour of the museum while I followed like a quiet shadow.  It was interesting to see because they are very experienced in giving guided tours and are highly knowledgeable about the artifacts and the period itself.  Each tour takes about an hour to do both floors and I saw them do large and small groups as I followed along quietly.  Sometimes people would ask me questions though.  Each followed the same basic pattern when they entered a room of pointing out certain things or mentioning certain facts but they also each had details that they alone mentioned.  One mentioned George Washington and cupping during the time of Heroic medicine and another the value of real Civil War surgeon’s kits being available to view.  It makes me wonder what my personal touch will be when I do a tour.

One day after following a tour I joined Kyle on a bus as he gave a tour of Antietam battlefield.  It was a small group and I sat a few rows behind everyone and listened.  It was much the same as when Kyle showed me Antietam last week.  We stopped at the same places and we all listened as he described troop movement, names and events in detail.  Just like I was amazed at his memory last week, this time all the visitors were amazed this week.  When the tour ended they all mentioned how much they enjoyed it too.

                This week the museum staff also gave me some more responsibilities.  I worked a bit on the booklet that will be distributed at the Letterman Award dinner we’re having later this month.  The dinner honors and awards those that are making an outstanding contribution to improving modern medicine and patient outcomes.  The nominee’s bios are amazing to read and I am really glad we have medical innovators and practitioners like that in the world.  There is always room for improvement right? I have also been researching roundtables in Maryland and in the states around us.  Delaware and Maryland don’t have that many but man does Pennsylvania!  My list is almost done though after I get through Virginia and West Virginia.  Some of the speaker lists are quite impressive and it’s fun to find names I recognize.  I’ve seen some of our docents on the lists and some authors I am a fan of reading.  Maybe they will come speak here someday soon and I will see them in person? *fingers crossed*

                I’ve been working on this blog as well.  I see this as a journal of sorts except instead of it being private for my eyes only this is a very public one that I put online.  My hopes with this blog and writing about what I do in the museum is to inspire others to become interested in history and/or apply to be interns here themselves.  Everyday I learn something new from the people who work here and they are extremely friendly.  I go home happy and I come to work happy everyday.  Moving from California is hard (everyone including roommates,  who love to tell how me how cold this winter will be, it’s almost like Game of Thrones with “Winter is coming!”) but I think that the museum has given me a good support system. 

                A lot of staff are also getting ready for our annual conference that will happen later this week.  It’s been happening annually for over twenty years and this is the first time it will take place in Georgia so there’s a lot for them to prepare.  George will be taking the ballistics gel we shot at earlier this week along with the presentation he has to go with it.  He will be going along with a few other members and I think the conference will be successful.  How can it not when you have such a great team? They left earlier today and Tom left last night since he’s driving down and the rest are flying.  They will all be back Monday though.  I’m excited to see the pictures and hear how it went.

Beginning the conference.

                The colonel’s promotion in the conference room was also today so we had tons of military in the museum.  Two enormous cakes with “congratulations” and with the seal of the United State of America were brought in this morning as I walked in.  Some people were dressed in camouflage, others in formal wear and others in dress blues.  I was upstairs all morning so I did not see the ceremony but I imagine it went off without a hitch.  When I cam downstairs for lunch Katie stopped me and said I should go up to have some of the leftovers from the ceremony.  We both went up and had some delicious sandwiches and loaded potatoes (my favorite) and then some cake! I’ve been wanting cake for awhile so this was the perfect opportunity to have some!  I laughed a bit when my slice said ‘MERICA.’ Congratulations to the now former colonel on the promotion!

                I spent the rest of the day working with Jenna downstairs and it was a fairly quiet Friday afternoon since the promotion ceremony was over and some of our staff was gone.  I’m getting more efficient with the store and admissions though so I’m seeing my work speed improve already.  Fingers crossed that week three is as historically awesome as this one was.