Hit the GROUNDS running!

Hello Park People!

Last week, I had the opportunity to assist workers in the Grounds division of Maintenance (APM) at Independence Hall National Historical Park. The Grounds division is responsible for maintaining the lawns, gardens, etc. within the park. Some of the tasks that the Grounds division does in order to maintain these parts of the park include lawn care, planting, weed pulling, plant pruning, picking up trash, and pest control. Throughout the three days I had spent with the Grounds crew, I was able to assist in almost every one of these tasks. 

The first task I participated in was pulling weeds in an area of Independence Mall. The supervisor of Grounds, as well as other members of the Grounds crew, showed me how to correctly identify which plants would need to be removed. He also talked about when it is the right time to plant certain types of plants in the garden, when those plants would bloom, and whether or not those plants would need to be replanted every year. It was very interesting getting to learn more about how to maintain a garden, especially since Independence Hall is in an urban setting. When we were not pulling weeds, I walked around the garden area and picked up any trash. I finished out the day by doing some maintenance of the Benjamin Rush garden. While in this garden, the supervisor of Grounds taught me how to correctly prune a tree. Overall, it was a very educational and eventful day.

Pulling weeds at Independence Mall

My second day with the Grounds crew was just as exciting as the first! We grabbed some weed whackers, shovels, brooms, and rakes and headed to the Bishop White House. The day prior I had the privilege of going inside of this building which was very interesting because this resource is not currently open to the public. The area behind the Bishop White House is also closed to the public but needed some work. There were a lot of weeds that had grown in the cracks in the ground. One of the Grounds crew workers used the weed whacker to get rid of these weeds. My job was to then rake/sweep and collect all of the waste to be discarded. This took up a good amount of the day. In the afternoon, I was shown how the inventory system works for all of the cleaning/maintenance supplies in the maintenance building. Buildings and areas throughout the entire park use these supplies, so it is very important that this area is kept as organized as possible. 

Sweeping plant debris behind the Bishop White House

My third and final day with the Grounds crew included a few different tasks. We started the day by mowing the grass in two different gardens in the park. The first garden we worked on was the Magnolia Garden. For this garden, I assisted by using the leaf blower after the Grounds crew members mowed the grass. This is a small garden, so it did not take too long. We then moved over to another garden area near Carpenter Hall. In this area, I used the push mower to mow the grass. The rest of the day was spent picking up trash in different locations in the park. We first started at the Graff house, then made our way over to Christ Church. In the afternoon, we picked up trash in the Rose garden, and in the lawn in front of the Second Bank building. Overall, this was a very eventful day.
 

Mowing the grass near Carpenter's Hall

Throughout my week with APM and Grounds, I learned a lot about how to maintain different areas within a park. I also was able to learn about the different systems and processes that go on behind the scenes in order for the park to be maintained in an efficient way, while also keeping a focus on maintaining the park in a way that the historical aspects are not tampered with. Since Independence Hall is a historical resource, it is important that the buildings are kept so that they are as historically accurate as possible. The goal for next week is to work on my conservation project and also get some Law Enforcement experience at First State National Historical Park!

Until next time,

ProRanger Moore