Volunteers Needed For Park Day Clean Up
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Some 100 Civil War-related sites in 23 states have signed up to welcome volunteers for the 14th annual Park Day on April 10. The Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT) sponsors the day, with underwriting from History, formerly The History Channel. CWPT President James Lighthizer said, “Without proper maintenance, battlefields can suffer from the ravages of both time and tourism. Our goal is to spruce up these links to America’s past so they can be enjoyed by all.” In exchange for their labor volunteers will receive T-shirts and learn some history through tours and talks given exclusively for them. The sites range from national and state battlefield parks across the country to Indiana’s Gen. Lew Wallace Study and Museum, the Dalton (Ga.) Confederate Cemetery and the Carter House/Carnton Plantation in Tennessee. Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia have the most sites needing volunteers. Antietam National Battlefield will ask volunteers to pick up trash along roads and stream, rehab trails and plant trees. Wilderness Battlefield projects include litter pickup on battlefield roads, painting and brush clearing. Work areas include the Longstreet wounding site on Orange Plank Road and the Vermont monument parking area. Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park has four projects. At Chickamauga volunteers can do cultural landscape restoration of the historic Brotherton Farm, clean up two family cemeteries or rehabilitate the U.S. Highway 27 Picnic Area. At Chattanooga’s Lookout Mountain Picnic Area, volunteers will assist park staff with clean-up and rebuilding of facilities. The U.S. Department of the Interior recognizes Park Day as a “Take Pride in America” event. Interested volunteers can get general information and see the list of participating sites at the CWPT Web site, www.civilwar.org. Specific schedule and work information is available at each historical site.
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