Get out the soap and water because it’s time to make your community’s historic markers sparkle.
The first-ever National Historic Marker Day, initiated by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, will be held this year on Friday, April 30. The nationwide event is designed to encourage communities everywhere to help maintain their historic markers by cleaning and taking care of them, all while providing an opportunity to celebrate their important local history.
According to the Historical Marker Database, there are more than 138,000 historic markers in the United States. Many of them are in need of cleaning and maintenance. The Pomeroy Foundation, which helps people to celebrate their community’s history by providing grants for historic roadside markers and plaques, has created an easy-to-use cleaning guide video and PDF for National Historic Marker Day participants. To watch or download a copy, visit https://www.wgpfoundation.org/national-historic-marker-day/.
“We’ve all seen that historic marker that’s been through a rough winter or experienced years of neglect,” said Bill Pomeroy, Founder and Trustee of the Pomeroy Foundation. “National Historic Marker Day is the perfect opportunity to make a difference through a small gesture of community service. It’s about getting outdoors and having fun, while celebrating your important local history.”
Whether you’re a member of a civic organization, looking for a school project, or just want to give back to your community, all are welcome to participate in National Historic Marker Day. What is clear is that markers make an impact. They help educate the public, encourage pride of place, and promote historic tourism, economically benefiting the communities in which they are located.
National Historic Marker Day participants are encouraged to share photos of their marker cleaning efforts on social media using #NationalMarkerDay as the unifying hashtag. Photos can also be emailed to info@wgpfoundation.org. On Tuesday, May 4, the Pomeroy Foundation will publish a photo gallery on Facebook and Twitter sharing some of the submitted photos.
For complete participation guidelines, visit the National Historic Marker Day webpage, https://www.wgpfoundation.org/national-historic-marker-day/. If you need help finding a marker location, visit the Pomeroy Foundation’s marker map, https://www.wgpfoundation.org/history/map/, or the Historical Marker Database, https://www.hmdb.org/.
National Historic Marker Day will be held on the last Friday of every April.
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