American Battlefield Trust

Volunteers pitch in at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park for Park Day 2018.

Every spring for 22 years, volunteers have taken to our nation’s battlefields and historic landscapes for a day to tend to and reflect upon the sites rooted in the defining conflicts of America’s first century. The catalyst behind these important—and mutually impactful—volunteer projects is the American Battlefield Trust’s nationwide Park Day event.

In just one day of volunteering, thousands of participants experience and help preserve some of America’s most storied places. The wide scope of projects welcomes volunteers of all ages and abilities. Whether removing brush at Gettysburg or constructing Civil War-era snake-rail fencing at Antietam, Park Day participants better prepare our nation’s treasured sites to serve visitors who want to learn more about our history.

At a time when budget and staffing hardships have become more the rule than the exception, Park Day is increasingly important. Its volunteer power makes it possible to implement projects, large and small, that may otherwise be delayed or scuttled entirely. Time and again, our volunteers have answered the call and selflessly devoted time to bettering their local communities and safeguarding American history.

Although it’s easy to think of Park Day as merely another volunteering opportunity, there is much more to the event. Park Day promotes the connections between people, preservation, and America’s past. For the citizens who came last year to Virginia’s Petersburg Battlefield, where they toiled alongside Boy and Girl Scouts and the men and women of our armed forces, or the JROTC members who flocked to South Carolina’s Buford’s Massacre battlefield, their contribution was more than clearing a trail or painting a sign—it was a chance to interact with longtime neighbors and new friends and know that their work would help ensure that our most treasured landscapes are prepared for another year of eager visitors.

The secret to Park Day’s success is not simply the sheer amount of volunteerism it generates—25,000 hours from 7,000 volunteers in 2018 alone—but the unwavering dedication of the battlefield preservationists, history enthusiasts, and nature lovers who have made Park Day what it is. Without our volunteers, it would be but another spring day.

This Park Day, I look forward to seeing faces familiar and new join our ranks for the 23rd consecutive year. Park Day will take place nationwide on April 6, 2019. Find a site near you at battlefields.org/parkday.

O. James Lighthizer is president emeritus of the nonprofit, nonpartisan American Battlefield Trust, which is dedicated to preserving America’s hallowed battlegrounds—Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War—and educating the public about their significance.