DANSVILLE, N.Y. — From Civil War hero to the founder of the American Red Cross, Clara Barton is one of the most honored women in American history. 

“Clara Barton is definitely somebody that we talked about around the kitchen table,” muralist Melissa Stratton Pandina said. “She did all the legwork to really make sure that when things go bad, there is medical help and there is logistical support to make sure that people can get the treatment and help they need.” 

During the Civil War, Barton provided nursing care and supplies to soldiers, earning her the nickname "Angel of the Battlefield."

“A trailblazer, really, for being a woman back in the day and doing what she did,” participant Sarah Clayson said. “It was pretty amazing.”

After the war ended, Barton found new ways to help others. On May 21, 1881, Barton founded the American Red Cross, and by the following year the United States ratified the Geneva Conventions, laws that protected war-wounded and civilians in conflict zones. This later resulted in a U.S. congressional charter, officially recognizing Red Cross services.

“The Red Cross has become just something that's so important for communities across the world, when disaster happens, the Red Cross is there to make things better,” Clayson said.

Barton established the first chapter of the American Red Cross in the Livingston County town of Dansville. The building remains as a meeting space for its volunteers and a museum of Red Cross history.

“Having her part of our small community knowing that she has made such a national impact,” Clayson said. “A global impact, actually. My grandma was a volunteer in the Red Cross back in the forties, so it's been part of our life and it's awesome that we're all out here today making this awesome contribution to her.”

Many residents in Dansville have found Barton to be a role model. Dedicating a mural in her honor, painters from around the community are inspired to leave their mark as well.

“I am an Army brat and I grew up in Germany,” Pandina said. “During the nineties, I got to see people creating art for a living and making really big pieces. And as a 7-year-old kid, I wanted to do that.”

Pandina said she enjoys being part of someone’s origin story, leaving a lasting legacy of Barton in the streets of Dansville. 

“Clara Barton did things during the Civil War, wasn't the medicine, it wasn't the bandages, it was the lanterns,” Pandina said. “She brought all these lanterns. And the surgeons were able to work throughout the night. So we have lanterns throughout the entire mural.”

Hosted by Dansville ArtWorks, the project has been in the works over the course of several months.

“We think the murals speak to her contributions,” Dansville ArtWorks treasurer Salome Farraro said. “It's a way for people who weren't here in the 1800s to understand the relevance of that, in their place in our life today.”

Barton’s vision of helping others continues today as residents advance her legacy through the American Red Cross and now with its newest addition to the town.

“One person can start the ball moving, but it takes a community to make lasting change and to bring hope,” Pandina said. “And when we all work together, we can do amazing things.”

The mural will be dedicated on Aug. 10 followed by a reception and 10th anniversary celebration hosted by Dansville ArtWorks.