By Harold H. Strayer and Irving L. London

The American Red Cross had just been organized by Clara Barton and she arrived in Johnstown on June 5. This was the first major disaster in which the Red Cross participated. She established headquarters in a mammoth tent on Prospect Hill. The Red Cross workers began a canvass of the area to determine who needed help and what kind of aid they needed. Miss Barton performed her most important work in supplying needs for the sufferers. Clara Barton remained in Johnstown until October. A farewell reception was held for her at the Morrell Institute on the eve of her departure. She was presented a gold pin and a locket, set with diamonds and amethysts. These are now at Red Cross headquarters in Washington, D. C. Miss Barton is identified in the photo at left by X.

Clara Barton decided to build "Red Cross Hotels" to provide shelter to the many persons who had lost their homes. A 2-story wooden building—50' x 116' was erected on the site of St. Mark's Church on Locust St. This was completed on July 27th and contained 34 bedrooms on the second floor with sitting room and dining room on the first floor. A second "hotel" was com pleted on Somerset Street in August and in September four buildings called "Woodvale House" were erected in that borough. It was a hollow square — composed of four buildings, each 40' x 100'.