12th Annual Observance of Park Day in Brownsville

Debris cleanup: 9 a.m.–noon at the Fort Brown Earthworks (old Fort Brown Memorial Golf Course off River Levee Road)

Civil War living history event: 1–3 p.m. at Market Square (1150 Market Square Street)

The Texas Historical Commission (THC), in conjunction with local co-hosts Brownsville Historical Association and the International Boundary and Water Commission, and with support from the National Park Service’s Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Park, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Border Patrol, UT-Rio Grande Valley’s Community Historical Archaeology Project with Schools (CHAPS), Texas Southmost College, and the City of Brownsville, invites members of the public to participate in THC’s 12th annual Park Day and Civil War living history event.

Activities include a debris and trash pick-up activity in the morning at the Fort Brown earthwork fortifications near the old Fort Brown Memorial Golf Course. Volunteers should wear clothes and shoes suitable for working outside and (optionally) bring work/gardening gloves. A Civil War living history event will take place in the afternoon at Brownsville Market Square. Both events are free and open to the public.

Park Day is an annual event sponsored by the American Battlefield Trust, formerly the Civil War Trust, which enlists volunteers to clean, repair, and learn about local battlefields. At each site volunteers receive a free T-shirt (while supplies last) and will hear from historians about battlefields and other military sites in their community. This is the 12th annual park day held in Cameron County. Previous THC Park Days have taken place at Palmito Ranch Battlefield, which lies in the Texas Tropical Trail Region and showcases the heritage, natural beauty, and rich culture of South Texas. 

Further information can be obtained from THC's Park Day coordinator and military historian, Lila Rakoczy (lila.rakoczy@thc.texas.gov; 512-463-5833).