Think Green

Top of the morning!

St. Patrick's day find the Museum lawn starting to green up and the siberian squill blooming.

Daffodils are budding and the tulips are sprouting. After a long, ice and snow filled winter, spring cannot come soon enough.

Saturday, April 2nd, is the annual Park Day. In conjunction with Civil War Preservation Trust, Park Day is an opportunity for volunteers to help museum, battlefields, memorials with a variety of jobs. The Museum ground will be cleaned of copious amounts of tree debris, gardens will be raked of their protective layer of leaves, mulch will be spread, perennials and shrubs will be pruned. An army of volunteers will be needed to clean up the 3.5 acres.

Park Day will be held from 9 to 12:30 on Saturday, April 2nd. Bring your rakes and work gloves and join in the fun! Refreshments will be provided to those who participate.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO READY WALLACE’S STUDY FOR SPRING

Annual Park Day sponsored by Civil War Preservation Trust, History Channel, US Dept. of Interior

CRAWFORDSVILLE, IN, March 28, 2009—The Civil War began as a struggle between armies of untrained but enthusiastic volunteers. Seven generations later, another army of volunteers is about to descend on America’s Civil War battlefields – only this horde of dedicated men and women will be armed with paint brushes, trash bags and weed whackers.

On Saturday, April 4, 2009, history buffs and preservationists of all ages will join forces to clean and restore Civil War-related battlefields, cemeteries and shrines. The nationwide effort – dubbed Park Day – is underwritten with a grant from The History Channel. Park Day is also recognized by the U.S. Department of the Interior as a “Take Pride in America” event. More than 100 historic sites in 24 states are expected to participate in Park Day 2009.

“Civil War sites are often the victims of their own popularity,” noted Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT) 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.”

Now in its thirteenth year, Park Day is an annual hands-on preservation event created by CWPT. Volunteers gather at designated Civil War sites to help with routine repairs and maintenance. Activities can range from raking leaves and hauling trash to painting signs and trail building. In exchange for their hard work, participants receive free refreshments and can listen to local historians describe the significance of the site.

The General Lew Wallace Study and Museum is one of the sites that will benefit from Park Day-related activities, and the only Park Day site in the state of Indiana. Volunteers are needed to paint some structures on the grounds, weed and mulch the various flower beds, pick up branches and help to clean the brick wall that surrounds the General’s property. For more information about Park Day at the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, please contact Deb King, Grounds Manager, at 765-362-5769 or email dking@ben-hur.com.

With 60,000 members, CWPT is the largest nonprofit battlefield preservation organization in the United States. Its goal is to preserve our nation’s endangered Civil War sites and to promote appreciation of these hallowed grounds. CWPT’s website is located at www.civilwar.org.

Spring has arrived!

Spring has finally arrived and the Museum is blooming with activities! Following the opening of the 2009 exhibit, people from central Indiana descend upon the Museum for Park Day 2009.

In partnership with the Civil War Preservation Trust, Park Day is a national program where people volunteer at parks, battlefields, monuments, and historical sites to help staff with much needed maintenance. The General Lew Wallace Study and Musuem is the only site in Indiana participating in this event!

The Museum's Park Day includes spring cleanup of the gardens, mulching the gardens, collecting fallen tree branches, cleaning out the Study basement,painting and some planting of spring flowers. The work (fun) starts at 9 and goes until 1. People come throughout the morning and pitch in where help is needed. A mid-morning snack of juice and doughnuts revive the volunteers for the rest of the day. Come join in the fun and help make the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum ready for visitors!

--Deb King, Grounds Manager

Park Day at the Study

Yes, believe it or not, Spring has decided to finally make an appearance in Indiana, and the folks at the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum were just in time to welcome this long-lost season with some much-needed cleanup of the Museum grounds.

Park Day, a national initiative of the Civil War Preservation Trust, aims to help Civil War heritage sites (like ours) by organizing an annual cleanup day to restore, maintain and bring new life to our winter-sleepy land. This year's effort was our best yet, bringing over thirty volunteers together to paint, weed, rake, mulch, and remove branches from the grounds.

In addition to the crowds of volunteers, scads of visitors were also attracted to the Museum in this first burst of warm Spring weather. We've had over twenty visitors inside the Study and Carriage House today, and if this is any indication of our visitation this year, we'll be breaking another attendance record!

Stay tuned as we roll into the crazy (never lazy) days of summer here at the Study!