Team Up to Clean Up Andersonville National Cemetery for “Park Day”

Date: February 29, 2012
Contact: Eric Leonard, 229 924-0343, ext. 201

ANDERSONVILLE, Georgia -More than 150 years after the first shots of the Civil War were fired, another wave of volunteers is about to descend on America's storied battlegrounds - only this array of dedicated men and women will be armed with paint brushes, trash bags and weed whackers.

On Saturday, March 31, 2012, 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. The nationwide effort - dubbed Park Day - is underwritten with a grant from History™ and has been endorsed by Take Pride in America, a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Park Day, now in its 16th year, is an annual hands-on preservation event created by the Trust to assist local groups with the maintenance of Civil War sites.This year, more than 100 sites in 25 states are expected to take part in the effort, with activities ranging from trash removal to trail building.In exchange for their hard work, volunteers receive t-shirts and learn the site's history from local experts.

Volunteers are needed for clean-up activities in the Andersonville National Cemetery in advance of the Memorial Day holiday. For more information about Park Day at Andersonville National Historic Site, please contact Eric Leonard by phone at 229 924-0343 or by e-mail at [e-mail].

WHAT:"Park Day" historic preservation event at the Andersonville National Cemetery

WHEN:March 31, 2012, beginning at 9:00 a.m.

WHERE:Volunteers will meet at the Cemetery Administrator's Office and parking area adjacent to the Andersonville National Cemetery.

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