Red Cross Farm informational sign
| Description: |
Sign reads: The Red Cross FarmThe only clear remnant of the Red Cross Farm is a cemetery along State Road 37 which bears the Red Cross name. Ironically, the cemetery actually pre-dates the days of the Red Cross Farm, but took the name when the nearby village of Yockey and the surrounding 782 acres were purchased by Dr. Joseph Gardner and given to the American Red Cross in 1893. The Red Cross Farm included a railroad stop, a post office, store, quarry, orchards, sugar maples, tenant houses, a mile of river frontage, and a cemetery. The farm was envisioned as a national depot to stage emergency supplies and a training school for nurses. It was the one piece of neutral ground in the Western Hemisphere protected by international treaties against the tread of hostile feet.The grand plan began to unravel almost immediately. The farms manager, John Moreland, began to gamble, and the Farm was tied up with his debts. In 1899 the Red Cross Farm was sold for back taxes on the Courthouse steps for $362. Dr. Gardner again bought the property in 1903. The Gardners built a log home there and Clara Barton continued to visit until 1910 when at the age of 88, she was too weak to travel. The scandal from the Red Cross Farm tarnished Clara Bartons reputation and led to her resignation as President of the American Red Cross. She died in 1912. The Farm was sold in parcels over time. Only the cemetery remains. Under photos reads: Clara Barton came to the farm often. Shown here is the entrance gate to the farm, and the plat of ownership of the Red Cross Farm...Map and photo above courtesy of the Lawrence County Museum. |
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| Created By: |
American Red Cross |
| Contributor(s): |
Funding provided by an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant, administered by the Indiana State Library |
| Source: |
http://iuidigital.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/IRC/id/3591 |
| Collection: |
Indiana Red Cross |
| Rights: | http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-NC/1.0/ |
| Copyright: |
Copyright Indiana Red Cross. Copyright permissions granted for non-commercial use by Indiana Red Cross. |
| Geography: |
Lawrence County, Indiana, United States http://sws.geonames.org/4260213/ |
| Subjects: |
Farms Signs (Notices) History Gambling Plats Photographs Gardner, Joseph Barton, Clara Moreland, John |
Further information on this record can be found at its source.
This project is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the Indiana State Library.