Volunteer Story: Fence Force Volunteers at Valley Forge

Fence Force volunteers work together with park staff to maintain wood fencing at Valley Forge National Historical Park.

NPS Photo

In 2023, the Fence Force volunteer team at Valley Forge helped to secure vital archaeology resources, protect trail users, and beautify significant historical resources at three high visitation sites: Washington's Headquarters, Varnum's Quarters/von Steuben Statue, and Muhlenberg's Brigade.

The six VIP members of the Fence Force pose with Jennifer McMenamin (park Facilities Manager) and Khiet Luong (park Volunteer and Youth Program Coordinator).

NPS Photo

The VIP Crew

On a cold and windy January morning in Valley Forge National Historical Park, a small group of dedicated volunteers met for the first time at Wayne's Woods to pilot a new volunteers-in-parks (VIP) program called the Fence Force. Their objective? To replace, rebuild, and maintain the miles of wood fencing at the park.

Under the supervision and leadership of NPS staff (Mike Albert, the Buildings and Utilities Supervisor, and Mark Dalton, the Utility Sytems Repairer and Operator), the Fence Force grew to six VIPs overseen by a VIP Crew Captain and Deputy Crew Captain.

Doug Wilson (Crew Captain), Brian Sisko (Deputy Crew Captain), Jim Black, Steve Garvin, Tom Koncir, and Tony DiPiano worked for 300 hours between January and October 2023 to complete a pilot project at Wayne's Woods, and also completed work at three additional sites in the park.

New fence materials were laid out and stacked in a zig-zag pattern according to historically-informed specifications developed by the park.

NPS Photo

New Fencing Around Wayne's Woods

The Fence Force pilot project took place at Wayne's Woods, a forested area containing significant archeological resources located adjacent to the popular Wayne's Woods picnic area. The volunteer team disassembled the existing damaged and deteriorating Virginia worm fencing, removed the old timbers, cut back vegetation to prepare the area for additional ground leveling and site preparation conducted by NPS staff, laid out new fence material according to historically-informed specifications developed by the park, and built and stacked the new fence rails. Each hemlock fence rail weighs between 25 and 50 pounds and is 11 feet in length.

A mile of new fencing was constructed around Wayne's Woods.

After 10 months and 300 hours of hard work, the Fence Force finally completed the project at Wayne's Woods, successfully installing an entire mile (5,280 feet) of new fencing around the perimeter of this archeologically sensitive resource. The team also installed “Area Closed” signs along the fencing near high visitation areas.

Fencing built by the Fence Force, like this section at Muhlenberg's Brigade, creates a safety barrier between pedestrians and vehicles.

NPS Photo

Expanding the Fence Force

After the Fence Force volunteer team demonstrated excellent teamwork and an ability to complete work safely without incident or injury, park staff decided to expand their workload to include fence projects at other historical resources in the park: Varnum’s Quarters/von Steuben statue, Muhlenberg's Brigade, and Washington’s Headquarters.

Fencing in these high visitation areas serves a variety of functions. At Varnum's Quarters/von Steuben statue and at Muhlenberg's Brigade, fencing creates a barrier between vehicle traffic and the pedestrians and cyclists recreating on the paved Joseph Plumb Martin trail. At Washington's Headquarters, fencing blocks access to the unstable and hazardous banks of Valley Creek near its confluence with the Schuylkill River.

Fence Force volunteers moved approximately 148,000 pounds of fencing material by hand and installed around 4,000 fence rails in 2023.

NPS Photo

Fence Force VIPs and the NPS Mission

Over the course of their work in 2023, the Fence Force moved approximately 148,000 pounds of fencing material by hand, installing around 4,000 fence rails. The critically important work of this volunteer team allowed Valley Forge park maintenance staff to focus on other park projects and priorities and contributed directly to the mission of the National Park Service to protect both the park resources and the visiting public.