Park Day Volunteer Project Ideas

Park Day is a great opportunity to leverage volunteer support to tackle projects at your battlefield or historic site. You choose your Park Day project – the goal is to ensure that the added bandwidth that Park Day brings is directed exactly where you need it most. Perpetually popular activities include routine groundskeeping, trail maintenance, and trash removal. But more unique efforts to give cannons a fresh coat of paint, clean historic headstones or erect fence lines crop up every year too. 

To get your gears turning, peruse this list of volunteer activity ideas meant to inspire and showcase the breadth of possibilities. Feel free to tailor activities to your site's specific needs, available resources, and volunteer capabilities. Whether you need help with urgent maintenance, long-term preservation projects, or preparing for increased visitation, Park Day volunteers are ready to roll up their sleeves and make a difference.   

Historic Structure & Asset Preservation 

• Clean and polish monuments, gravestones, and cannons 
• Paint cannon carriages and wheels 
• Restore names on gravestones 
• Beautify historic homes (sweep, mop, vacuum, clean windows) 
• Paint outdoor furniture, doors, and shutters 
• Repair porch railings and boards 
• Remove abandoned hives and nests from historic buildings 
• Paint building interiors and exteriors 
• Repair walls and other structural damage 
• Maintain and repair brick and stone walls
• Restore battlefield earthworks

Grounds & Trail Maintenance 

• Pick up litter along trails and throughout the site 
• Pull weeds and remove invasive plant species 
• Plant native flowers, bushes, and grasses 
• Rake leaves and mulch trails 
• Trim overgrown trees and remove dead trees 
• Create and maintain new hiking trails 
• Spread gravel on pathways 
• Build and repair terraced steps on trails 
• Install trail markers and update interpretive signage   

Museum & Visitor Center Support 

• Clean exhibit windows and display cases 
• Assist with changing artifacts in displays 
• Update museum exhibit descriptions 
• Organize storage spaces 
• Dust and clean historic furniture 
• Stock and organize gift shop inventory 
• Count inventory and order supplies 
• Sort merchandise by size 
• Replenish informational pamphlets   

Fencing & Barriers 

• Build traditional fences (Virginia worm fence, picket fence) 
• Repair existing fences and landscape features 
• Maintain cemetery fencing and walls 
• Landscape & Environmental Projects 
• Plant fruits and vegetables in historic gardens 
• Prepare gardens for planting season 
• Maintain orchards by planting new trees 
• Restore woodlands by planting saplings 
• Reintroduce native pollinators by planting butterfly and bee-friendly plants 
• Build birdhouses and bat boxes to support local wildlife 
• Construct erosion prevention structures along riverbanks 

 Site Amenities 

• Fix and maintain picnic tables 
• Prepare and paint parking lot areas 
• Install dog waste stations 
• Maintain campgrounds 
• Clean interpretive signage throughout the site 
• Remove graffiti from impacted areas 
• Clean up along nearby highways   
• Cemetery & Memorial Care 
• Maintain graveyards by weeding and removing litter 
• Clean and preserve gravestones 
• Repair cemetery fencing 

 Living History Support 

• Wash and mend period costumes 
• Sort costumes by size for interpreters 
• Care for farm animals and clean barns 
• Clean sheep fleece 
• Assist with 18th and 19th-century demonstrations   

Historical Documentation 

• Transcribe graveyard records and pension files 
• Transcribe historical diaries and journals   

Waterways & Beaches 

• Clean up trash in and along waterways 
• Participate in beach cleanup efforts 
• Clean and maintain kayaks and canoes 
• Repair and paint bridges   

Event Support 

• Create and distribute event flyers 
• Decorate for upcoming events 
• Staff merchandise tables 
• Manage snack stations for volunteers 
• Run activity stations (crafts, face painting, etc.) 
• Document events through photography and video