The Wilderness Battlefield was one of 117 Civil War battlefields, parks and historical sites that  participated in the Civil War Preservation Trust’s (CWPT) Park Day 2010 on Saturday, April 10. 

More than 100 preservation-minded volunteers converged on the Wilderness Battlefield for Park Day. The cleanup of the Wilderness was sponsored by Friends of Wilderness Battlefield and led by FoWB Battlefield Resources Committee Chair Mark Wakeman and Committee Member Jim Smith.

Click here for photos of the day. (Click on each photo to enlarge it.)

Read Mark's letter to Park Day volunteers.

Highlights:

• 10 scout troops numbering about 50 troops volunteered.
• 4 pickup truck loads of trash were cleared from the battlefield, including more than 100 30- gallon bags of trash, 2 car bumpers, tires, and construction debris.
• All parking areas and monuments were picked up.
• More than 100 bags of leaves and brush were cleared from the Wilderness Shelter, Hill-Ewell Drive, the Vermont Monument and the Longstreet wounding site. 

To: Park Day Volunteers:

On behalf of Friends of Wilderness Battlefield, Jim and I would like to thank all of you who took time from your weekend to come to The Wilderness and help us clean the battlefield.  Without your efforts and help we could not have accomplished a fraction of what you all did that day.  Your support really made a difference and I hope you will consider coming back next year.  It was a great day of camaraderie and community support and I tip my hat to all of you.  I believe the souls of 180,000 Wilderness veterans were smiling down as we showed our respect for their sacrifices by taking care of their battlefield.  Thank you. 

Respectfully,
Mark Wakeman
Park Day Chair, Wilderness Battlefield

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