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Senate approves signage for historic Clara Barton birth site in Oxford
July 2, 2008 ... When motorists are traveling on I-395 through Oxford, Massachusetts, most do not realize that they are passing through the birthplace of one of America’s most important and influential historical figures. Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, and a pioneer in the suffrage and civil rights movements, was born in Oxford in 1821 on Christmas Day. In an effort to recognize the historic birthplace of Clara Barton, Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, filed a bill last year that would place signs along I-395 in Oxford, directing motorists to the home Barton was born in. “Clara Barton serves as one of the most important figures in American medical history,” remarked Moore, who is also Chairman of the Health Care Financing Committee. “She was responsible for creating one of the greatest humanitarian causes in the form of the Red Cross, and was an integral part of the women’s suffrage movement and civil rights movement, forging friendships with other historical figures like Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony. It is unfortunate that she is not recognized on an interstate that so many motorists may stop on to catch a glimpse of the place where she began her life.” The bill, which would give motorists the proper indication of Barton’s birthplace, passed in the Senate with overwhelming support, and has been sent to the House of Representatives for their review. |
