Yesterday marked another successful United Way of Charles County Day of Caring, and we couldn’t be more grateful for the Charles County Sheriff’s Office and all they helped us accomplish in just one morning. It was a hot and sticky day, but 24 volunteers from the Sheriff’s Office worked more than 4 hours to winterize our historic tobacco barn, replace clapboard on Laurel Branch, build and paint signs for the site and the Museum Garden, fix the barnyard fencing, replace the roof on our sheep shelter, clean up a maintenance shed, and weed whack.
Their work on the tobacco barn and Laurel Branch — through the application of “witch’s brew” (turpentine, boiled linseed oil, and pine tar) — will help preserve our 18th century historic buildings from harsh winter weather. The signs they helped to paint and build will provide self-guided park visitors with directions and information about the site. The barnyard fencing they fixed and the sheep shelter roof they replaced will add to the success of our heritage livestock breed preservation program by keeping our animals happy, safe, and healthy. And their help cleaning up the site through trash removal and weed whacking will keep the site beautiful for our fall school tours and visitors.
Each year that the Sheriff’s Office comes out for the Day of Caring (this year marks their 4th at the Accokeek Foundation), we are amazed by the amount of work they accomplish and the dedication with which they approach each task given them. This year was no exception, and we thank them for helping to make all we do here possible. Check out the photos of them in action below, and we hope to see them all back next year!
Painting “witch’s brew” on the tobacco barn to help preserve the wood
Painting, assembling, and installing signs around the site and inside the Museum Garden
Removing and replacing old, rotting, or missing fence rails
Making and installing clapboard on Laurel Branch