Cleaning battlefields, historic sites
This spring, Georgia volunteers will team up with the Civil War Trust to aid in the maintenance and restoration of numerous sites as part of Park Day, a nationwide effort that includes more than 130 historic sites in 30 states.
Thousands of volunteers across the country will participate as Park Day celebrates over 20 successful years on Saturday, April 1, 2017.
Volunteers interested in participating in Park Day are encouraged to contact the individual sites listed below. Activities are mostly outdoor jobs that range from raking leaves and collecting trash to painting signs and gardening. Volunteers will receive T-shirts, and some sites will provide lunch or refreshments. A local historian may also be on hand to detail the park’s significance.
Starting times vary at each site. Georgia volunteers may sign up at the following locations:
Local sites
Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park, Fort Oglethorpe, 8 a.m.
Contact: Will Wilson at will_ wilson@nps.gov
Activities include clearing brush, building and repairing fences, maintaining the trails, painting and picking up trash. Drinks will be provided.
Dalton Confederate Cemetery, Dalton, 9 a.m.
Contact: Marvin Sowder at msowder@dalton.net
Volunteers will help with landscaping, removing trash, clearing brush and history and educational programs.
Historic Prater’s Mill, Dalton, 9 a.m.
Contact: Elaine Watkins at elaine@pratersmill.org
Volunteer activities include landscaping, trail maintenance, planting, building and repairing fences, trash removal, clearing brush and cleaning buildings. Light food and drinks will be provided.
Resaca Confederate Cemetery, Resaca, 9 a.m.
Contact: Vic Bohannon at boshvac@aol.com
Volunteers will rake leaves, weed, pick up trash, paint and clean and repair grave site markers. Lunch will be provided.
Also in Georgia
Andersonville National Historic Site, Andersonville, 10 a.m.
Contact: Jennifer Hopkins at jennifer_ hopkins@nps.gov
Volunteers will work to build primitive shelters at the reconstructed prison site as well as help with landscaping and trash removal. Kids can help clean storage areas.
Jefferson Davis Memorial Historic Site, Fitzgerald, 10:00 a.m.
Contact: John Hughes at jeffdavis1@windstream.net
Help this historic site pick up pine cones, landscape, maintain trails, remove trash and clear brush. Light food and drinks will be provided to volunteers.
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Kennesaw, 9 a.m.
Contact: Amanda Corman at amanda_corman@nps.gov
Volunteers will assist with the improvement of a section of the park’s trail system which leads to the historic 24 Gun Battery, built by Union forces at Kennesaw Mountain in 1864. Light food and drinks will be provided.
Kettle Creek Battlefield, Washington, 10 a.m.
Contact: Walker Chewning at wcjc1@aol.com
Clean up this historic battlefield by helping with landscaping, clearing brush, removing trash and maintaining trails. Kids can participate in colonial life activities.
Nash Farm Battlefield Park and Museum, Hampton, 9 a.m.
Contact: Bill Dodd at w.g.dodd@ att.net
Volunteer activities include weeding and planting in the herb garden, picking up trash and debris, building or repairing fences and installing markers and interpretive signs. Drinks will be provided to volunteers.
The Civil War Trust is the premier nonprofit organization devoted to the preservation of America’s hallowed battlegrounds. Although primarily focused on the protection of Civil War battlefields, through its Campaign 1776 initiative, the Trust also seeks to save the battlefields connected to the Revolutionary War and War of 1812. To date, the Trust has preserved nearly 45,000 acres of battlefield land in 23 states, including 2,201 acres in Georgia. Learn more at Civilwar.org.