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Health & Fitness

Volunteers With Tauck Help Preserve Prince William County's History

Tauck Tours completed its first Virginia volunteer project in Prince William County last week, helping to restore one of the county's prized historic sites.

Tauck Tours completed its first Virginia volunteer project in Prince William County last week, helping to restore one of the county’s prized historic sites.

A leading luxury escorted tour operator, Tauck sent 30 Connecticut-based volunteers to Ben Lomond- an old plantation home, turned Civil War hospital- as part of the company’s World of Giving program.

The volunteers spent Friday painting, tending to the antique rose garden, working on the trails and other projects around the site, which is managed by Prince William’s historic preservation division.

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“Our historic sites draw thousands of visitors annually, so we are thrilled to have a well recognized and respected tour company help restore Ben Lomond,” Discover Prince William & Manassas Executive Director Ann Marie Maher said. “Their generosity will help ensure this piece of America’s history is preserved for years to come.”

For more than a decade, Tauck employees have volunteered at various national parks and historic sites across the country. Tauck has recently developed Civil War-related tours and events in cooperation with the filmmaker Ken Burns, and over the past two years the company has been bringing travelers to Prince William County. 

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With the Ken Burns connection and Tauck’s focus on the Civil War, company officials said the Ben Lomond project seemed like a perfect fit.  Other volunteer projects have included Plimoth Plantation, Ellis Island and Valley Forge, PA.

“We’ve been bringing visitors to the U.S. National Parks and other historic sites for over 85 years, and we recognize the importance of ‘giving back’ and helping to protect and preserve these precious resources,” said Tauck’s World of Giving manager Roni Goldberg.  “With the ongoing 150th anniversary of the Civil War, [this] project is especially meaningful.”

Discover Prince William & Manassas, the area’s tourism marketing agency, helped arrange the trip, working closely with the county’s historic preservation division and other local partners. While in town, Tauck volunteers dined in Old Town Manassas and toured Manassas National Battlefield Park and Brentsville Courthouse Historic Centre.

Discover Prince William & Manassas is the Convention and Visitors Bureau marketing Prince William County and Manassas,Virginia as a destination for leisure and business travelers, group tours, conferences, meetings and events.

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