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Contact: Eric Leonard, 229 924-0343, x. 201
ANDERSONVILLE, Georgia-Nearly 150 years after the final shots of the Civil War were fired, a new wave of volunteers will descend on America's battlefields - only these dedicated troops will wield paint brushes, trash bags and hammers in the line of duty. On Saturday, April 6, 2013, history buffs and preservationists from around the country will team up with the Civil War Trust to help clean and restore America's priceless battlefields, cemeteries and shrines. Park Day is the nationwide volunteer effort created by the Civil War Trust, underwritten with a grant from History™ and endorsed by Take Pride in America, a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Now in its 17th year, the annual hands-on preservation event comprises more than 100 sites in 24 states. Volunteers will participate in activities ranging from trash removal to trail building, while learning more about each site from local experts. In exchange for their effort, volunteers receive t-shirts or patches. Individuals of all ages and ability levels are welcome, and many activities are appropriate for groups, like scout troops or corporate outings. Volunteers will assist with repair and rebuilding of replica prisoner shelters in the reconstructed northeast corner of the prison site. For more information about Park Day at Andersonville National Historic Site, please contact Eric Leonard by phone at 229 924-0343 or e-mail us. WHAT: "Park Day" stewardship event at the Andersonville National Historic Site WHEN: April 6, 2013, beginning at 9:00 a.m. WHERE: Volunteers will meet at the National Prisoner of War Museum. The Civil War Trust is the largest nonprofit battlefield preservation organization in the United States. Its goal is to preserve our nation's endangered Civil War sites and to promote appreciation of these hallowed grounds through education and heritage tourism.To date, the Trust has preserved more than 32,000 acres of battlefield land in 20 states. Please visit the Trust's website at www.civilwar.org, the home of the Civil War sesquicentennial. (For a complete list of participating Park Day sites, visit http://www.civilwar.org/parkday/) Andersonville National Historic Site is located 10 miles south of Oglethorpe, GA and 10 miles northeast of Americus, GA on Georgia Highway 49. The site features the National Prisoner of War Museum, Andersonville National Cemetery and the site of the historic Civil War prison, Camp Sumter. Andersonville National Historic Site is a unit of the National Park System and serves as a memorial to all American prisoners of war. Park grounds are open from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. with the museum opening at 9:00 a.m. Admission is free. For more information on the park, call 229 924-0343, visit on the web at www.nps.gov/ande/, or find us on Facebook at facebook.com/AndersonvilleNPS About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 398 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov. |
Last updated: April 14, 2015