American Battlefield Trust In The News The American Battlefield Trust has no shortage of exciting programs on the horizon for this spring! Whether you are looking for volunteer opportunities, part nerships to provide exceptional experiences for underprivileged classrooms, or opportunities to i troduce talented young people to preservation advocacy, it’s a fan tastic time to be involved in the battlefield protection movement.
Volunteer at Your Favorite Battlefield this Park Day
Well more than 100 sites acros the country are poised to partici pate in our 24th annual Park Day. This nationwide effort invites volunteers of all ages to give back to their communities by helping with upkeep and maintenance at local historic landmarks In 2019, some 7,000 volunteers donated approximately 25,000 service hours on much needed projects at sites that stretched across 32 states and the District of Columbia, from Maine to California. Find a participating
Introducing the Great Task Youth Leadership Program
We are also thrilled to announce a new partnership with Gettysburg National Military Park and the Bowe Stewart Foundation that will extend and expand the park’s dynamic, award-winning Great Task Youth Leadership Program over the next five years. Expansion plans for the partnership include: a virtual component designed for those who cannot physically make it to Gettysburg, but that will also better prepare those who can, the addition of at-risk youth from Baltimore, Md., and Chicago, Ill., among other key cities and regions, classroom and library materials for participating organizations, and the application of this leadership and service model to other American battlefields. Geared for at-risk student and youth organizations from grade levels 7 to 12, the Great Task offers intensive leadership and character-building experiences that go beyond traditional curric ulum-based field trips. By utiliz ing the battlefield as an outdoor classroom, participants are immersed in stories of leadership, heroism, and civic responsibility embodied by those involved in, and affected by, the battle. “The education goals of the American Battlefield Trust and the National Park Service at Gettysburg are one and the same: to create model programs for the next generation of leaders to learn directly from America’s battlefields,” said Trust chief h torian Garry Adelman. “We are proud to join forces to make that happen for an ever-broadening circle of youth.” Applications for the program will be accepted through April 30 for one or two-day excursions from July through October. The site visits will be customized to match the mission and objectives of each youth organization.
We are also now accepting applications for the next class of our Youth Leadership Team, a group of high school students from across the country who are passionate about American history. This year-long program is an opportunity for students to learn the ins and outs of our mis sion and serve as ambassadors for the Trust. They participate i a “Lobby Day on Capitol Hill”, attend our annual conference during the summer, and energize their local communities about the importance of our mission. During the year, each team member is responsible for a preservation or education project in their hometown area. Our current Youth Leadership Team is hard at work completing their projects. Owen is hosting a history day to highlight the Civil War and Revolutionary War history in Yorktown; Sarah is taking a group of her peers to experience a history day at the Olustee battlefield in Florida; and Jessica putting together a history-based game show for her school to participate in. If you are interested in being part of our next class (or know someone who is), please help spread the word about the Youth Leadership Team. Applications are open until April 30th, 2020. Applicants must be aged 15-18 and be able to travel independent ly in order to participate. Furth details and application materials
Just below the surface of one of the most popular parks in
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Lt. General Ronald Coleman (USMC Harrison on the New Market Heigh Richmond National Battlefield Pa (
Charleston, lies a significant a chaeological and historical trea sure that demonstrates the resilience of early Charlestonians in defending their country from European invasion attempts. In early February, The Liberty Trai a joint project of the Trust and the South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust (SCBPT), leveraged modern technology, local experts, and graduate students from the Clemson/College of Charleston Historic Preservation Program, to document the exact footprint of this fortification Marion Square. The Hornwork, built in 1758, anchored an intimidating defensive line around colonial Charleston. Constructed of tabby, a mixture of shells, sand, and lime, the structure was a massive 30-foot tall fortificati spanning three city blocks. The Hornwork and its surrounding ditch or moat occupied a space measuring approximately six to eight acres. While a remnant remains visible in Marion Square today and archaeologists know
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its approximate outline, this project is the first to complet document the exact footprint of the Hornwork and provide educational resources to explain i significance. Trust president Jim Lighthiz noted that ultimately this work will yield a gateway experience for The Liberty Trail, a statewide network of Revolutionary War sites proposed by the partners. “We envision a state-of-t art augmented reality program to allow Marion Square visitors to see the Hornwork and where it fits on the modern landscape Traditional interpretive signag will further educate visitors.”
Among the many untold stories of exceptional valor in America history is the powerful example
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