An Evening With Clara Barton

Come spend an evening with Clara Barton, as portrayed by Phyllis Chapman, at the Stephentown Historical Society meeting on Monday, May 7, at 7:30 pm. Barton will tell of her experiences as a battlefield nurse during the American Civil War and her work after the war. The meeting will be at the Stephentown Heritage Center on Garfield Road, Stephentown. It is free and open to the public. The building is handicapped accessible. For directions or information, phone 518-733-5675.
Clara Barton was first a school teacher and then worked in Washington, D.C., at the U.S. Patent Office. She was in the capital and thirty-nine years old when the Civil War broke out and soon saw the need for nursing the sick and wounded troops. Her training was her home experience at a young age nursing an injured brother back to health. She managed to get permission to care for the troops on the various battlefields rather than in the military hospitals of Washington. After the war she worked with the International Committee of the Red Cross in Europe. She eventually brought the concept of an organization to help during times of civil or natural disaster to the United States and established the American Red Cross.
Phyllis Chapman was an art teacher for twenty-one years until her interest in history brought her to the Bennington Museum where she was Education Director. The Museum’s living history programs led her to portrayals of historical figures. She will be showing some of the medical instruments and procedures of the Civil War era. She lives in Eagle Bridge.