Entry No. 27 — the Washington, D.C. file — filed under: offbeat archive

Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum

Clara Barton ran her "Missing Soldiers Office" out of a rented third-floor room here from 1865 to 1868, tracing more than 63,000 missing Union soldiers for grieving families — then the building was sealed up and forgotten for over a century until a routine inspection ahead of planned demolition uncovered her unopened boxes of letters and belongings still sitting in the attic.

The move: Take the guided noon or 3pm tour through Barton's preserved rooms, read a few of the original searching-family letters on display, then walk two blocks to the National Portrait Gallery to see how differently the same war gets remembered in oil paint.

• 📍 Penn Quarter, DC
• 💸 $
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: 437 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20004

Hours: Added 2026-07-19 — confirm current hours before you go.

⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: Official site · civilwarmed.org

last checked: 2026-07-19