In 1890, brothers Edward and Edwin Baltzley created the Glen Echo on the Potomac real estate development hoping to lure Washingtonians to live in the beauty and serenity of this new suburban community. Glen Echo became the site of teh 53rd Chautauqua Assembly, offering summer courses in th eliberal and practical arts. The crown jewel of the Chautauqua was an 8,000-seat amphitheater that sat atop Minnehaha Creek and used the water flow to power the speaker system. During the amusement park era, the amphitheater became the Midway, home to many rides and entertainments.
The trestle that supported the Glen Echo trolley - the primary mode of public transportation that carried visitors to the park during the Chautauqua and early amusement park years - is visible from the bridge as you look toward MacArthur Boulevard.
The Baltzley brothers donated a house and land to Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, in an effort to bring prestige to their Glen Echo community. Built in 1891, it was first used as a warehouse for disaster relief suppolies. In 1897, Miss Barton made it her home and the headquarters for the American Red Cross. Thinking the house looked too somber, Miss Barton changed the Original granite facade of the residence to an elegant Victorian wooden facade, retaining only the granite corners.
Clara Barton National Historic Site, Glen Echo Park
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service