After a month at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Tom and I are getting settled and developing our routine. It usually takes us a month before we feel like we are in the groove. Even though we usually work the same basic days at each park where we volunteer, finding the right balance of work …
From National Parks
Water Line Break at Headquarters
About a month before we came down to Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, the volunteer coordinator called us to let us know there had been a water line break. The break affected the buildings in the area where we were supposed to stay. Because of the budget cuts, they were fixing the break in the …
Ten Favorite National Park Sites
What are your favorite national park sites? The National Parks have been on my mind a lot lately. I feel like President Trump is basically trying to demolish the National Parks, along with a lot of other things. And working in the National Parks, even as a volunteer, is pretty stressful right now. I have …
2025 Visitors at Fort Frederica
Tom and I have been pleasantly surprised by how many people come to visit us at Fort Frederica National Monument. But it is a great place to visit, especially in the winter. We have enjoyed everyone who has come to see us while we have been here. This year, however, we haven’t had many 2025 …
Ed and Debbie Braun, Living History Volunteers
Ed and Debbie Braun are volunteering at Fort Frederica National Monument this year for the first time. In fact, this is the first time they are volunteering at a National Park site. Ed and Debbie are from Edmonton, Canada, so they have enjoyed avoiding the snow and cold in Edmonton. Like the rest of us, …
School Groups at Fort Frederica
One of the fun things that Tom and I get to do at Fort Frederica National Monument is help with school groups. Ellen Provenzano is currently in charge of school groups. Ellen wears a lot of hats in the park. She is the bookstore manager, the archaeology specialist, and the education coordinator. She only gets …
Palmetto Hut Rebuild
When Tom and I first got to Fort Frederica National Monument, back in 2017, Tom and another volunteer built a palmetto hut. Tom had done a lot of research and gotten permission to build the replica hut outside the grounds of the historic area. He and Randy Benefield spent several weeks collecting the materials and …
Volunteer Village Shenanigans
One of our favorite parts of being at Fort Frederica National Monument is living in Volunteer Village. There are five RV pads in the compound, which means that there can be as many as ten volunteers living and working together. It is our Georgia community and we all enjoy each other very much. Although Tom …
Reconstruction Era National Historical Park
Tom and I stopped at Reconstruction Era National Historical Park on our way back to Georgia for our second go-round at Fort Frederica National Monument this year. Reconstruction Era is located in Beaufort, South Carolina. I got all the stamps for South Carolina parks when we worked at Kings Mountain National Battlefield in 2016. But …
Cleaning Up After the Ice Storm
Last week I wrote about our ice storm and this week I will describe cleaning up after the ice storm. The ice storm happened on Wednesday, January 22. Wednesday we weren’t allowed to do anything because of safety issues. Thursday the safety officer, Ranger Chad, and Ranger Margot did a safety assessment. Then Ranger Margot …