U.S. GRANT HOME TO PARTICIPATE IN "PARK DAY" APRIL 1

GALENA, IL - The Ulysses S. Grant Home State Historic Site will join the Civil War Preservation Trust for Park Day 2006 scheduled for Saturday, April 1 beginning at 10 a.m. in Galena's Grant Home neighborhood.  This nationwide effort focuses on a "spring cleaning" of the grounds of famous battlefields and Civil War related sites, including the Grant Home.  The event is underwritten with a grant from The History Channel and is presented in partnership with Take Pride in America, a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior.      

 

            Park Day, now in its tenth year, is a hands-on event created by the Preservation Trust 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 trail building.  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.

 

Volunteers in Galena will paint a fence and perform other work at the U.S. Grant Home.  Those who would like to participate in Park Day can call the Galena State Historic Sites at (815) 777-3310, or contact them at granthome@galenalink.com.

 

The Ulysses S. Grant Home State Historic Site, administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (www.Illinois-History.gov), was presented to the victorious Union general by the citizens of Galena upon his return from the Civil War in 1865.  It is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., with operations expanding to seven days per week from May 29 through September 4, 2006.  The Grant Home is located at 500 Bouthillier in Galena.