Clara Barton's Visit
Paducah, McCracken County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
Clara Barton's Visit. The organizer of the American Red Cross in 1881, Clara Barton, came to Paducah March 13, 1884, on the steamboat "Josh V. Throop" to help direct relief work during the Ohio River flood. Relief boats traveled from Pittsburgh to Cairo in first flood relief operation of the American Red Cross. In memory of Charles and Anna Sullivan.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
In March 1884, Clara Barton—who had founded the American Red Cross just three years earlier—arrived in Paducah aboard the steamboat Josh V. Throop to direct relief for victims of a great Ohio River flood. Relief boats ran the length of the river from Pittsburgh to Cairo in what became the young organization's first flood-relief operation. It was a proving ground for disaster response that the Red Cross would repeat for generations.
Why it matters
This visit marks the American Red Cross's first river-flood relief effort, a foundational moment in the nation's tradition of organized humanitarian aid to disaster victims.
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Related people
- · Clara Barton
Related events
- · Ohio River Flood of 1884
Themes & tags
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