Civil War preservation groups team up to clean up Grant Home April

GALENA - Seven generations after the Civil War began, another wave of volunteers is about to descend on America's battlegrounds and sites - only this array of dedicated men and women will be armed with paint brushes, trash bags and weed whackers.

On Saturday, April 5 history buffs and preservationists from around the country will team up with the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT) to help clean and restore America's priceless battlefields, cemeteries and shrines, including the Ulysses S. Grant Home State Historic Site in Galena. The nationwide effort, dubbed "Park Day," is underwritten with a grant from The History Channel. For the third time, this year's Park Day is presented in partnership with Take Pride in America, a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Park Day, now in its eleventh year, is an annual hands-on preservation event created by CWPT to assist local groups with the maintenance of Civil War sites. Participants gather at the sites to help with activities that range from trash removal to painting. At the Grant Home, volunteers are needed for an outdoor "spring cleaning" and painting project. In exchange for their hard work, volunteers receive t-shirts and have the opportunity to hear a local historian discuss the significance of the site.

For more information about Park Day at the Ulysses S. Grant Home, contact Din Tindell at (815) 777-9406 or granthome@granthome.com. The Ulysses S. Grant Home State Historic Site is administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and is open for free public tours.

With 75,000 members, the CWPT is the largest nonprofit battlefield preservation organization in the United States. You can learn more at www.civilwar.org.