Join the Civil War Trust for National Park Day Cleanup

Now in its 22nd year, Park Day is a family-friendly preservation event to clean up and restore America’s hallowed battlefields and historic sites

Photo - Civil War Trust

(Washington, D.C.) – Volunteers of all ages and abilities can give back to their country, get out of the house, and honor their heritage by joining the Civil War Trust on Saturday, April 7, for Park Day 2018. Park Day is an annual hands-on preservation event to help maintain America’s battlefields and historic sites. And with 156 sites in 34 states and the District of Columbia signed up to participate so far, this year’s Park Day will be the largest ever.

2018’s diverse group of Park Day sites gives volunteers many options for locations, specific projects and historical background. In recent years, the Civil War Trust has expanded Park Day to include Revolutionary War and War of 1812 sites. Now, participants from Sharpsburg, Md., to Modesto, Calif. – and Perryville, Ky., to Princeton, N.J. – will have the opportunity to help keep America’s hallowed grounds and outdoor classrooms looking their best.

“Park Day volunteers are critically important to historic sites that must balance basic maintenance needs with limited budgets and small staffs,” Civil War Trust President James Lighthizer said. “Visitors really do notice the difference after our legions of volunteers pitch in and clean up!”

Since 1996, thousands of community-minded citizens – including Boy and Girl Scouts, Rotarians, Lions Club members, church groups, ROTC units, youth groups and many others – have taken part in Park Day. Activities can include building trails, raking leaves, painting signs, putting up fences and contributing to site interpretation. In addition to the satisfaction that volunteer work brings, participants receive official Park Day T-shirts, and may have the chance to hear a local historian describe people and events of the past at their site.

In 2017, 138 sites throughout the country held Park Day events, with the help of nearly 6,000 volunteers who donated more than 24,000 man-hours of effort. Every freshly painted fence or newly planted tree makes each place better prepared for the visitors who will come this year to learn more about their national heritage.

The Civil War Trust is a national nonprofit land preservation organization devoted to the protection of America’s hallowed battlegrounds. It saves the battlefields of the Civil War, the Revolutionary War and War of 1812, and educates the public about their importance in forging the nation we are today. To date, the Trust has preserved over 48,000 acres of battlefield land in 24 states. Learn more at Civilwar.org.