Department of Parks
Civil War Cleanup Slated

FRANKFORT, Ky. – The Perryville National Historic Site in Perryville and Columbus-Belmont State Park in Columbus are among the parks participating in an April 1 national clean up of Civil War battlefields.

The event – dubbed Park Day – is being sponsored by the Civil War Preservation Trust and the History Channel, in conjunction with Take Pride in America. Volunteers of all ages are invited to participate.

The event at Perryville will begin at 8 a.m. on April 1 at the Perryville Battlefield Civil War Hall across from Museum. Volunteers will gather at 9 a.m. on the same day at Columbus-Belmont Shelter C.

Scouts, Civil War groups, and individuals are asked to participate. Pre-registration is recommended. For details about Perryville, please contact Joni House at (859) 332-8631 or email her at joan.house@ky.gov. For details about Columbus-Belmont, please contact Cindy Lynch at 270-677-2327 or email her at cindy.lynch@ky.gov.

Activities include such things as planting flowers, picking up limbs, sticks, trash, and possibly painting. In exchange for their hard work, volunteers receive T-shirts and hear local historians describe the significance of the site.

This is the 10^th year for the annual event. “Civil War sites are often the victims of their own popularity,” said Civil War Preservation Trust President James Lighthizer.  “Without proper maintenance, battlefields can suffer from the ravages of both time and tourism.  Our goal is to spruce up these links to America’s past so they can be enjoyed by all.”