Trump's first paycheck goes to Antietam battlefield

July 6 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump first paycheck -- which he donated in April to the National Parks Service -- will go toward the restoration of Antietam, a Civil War battlefield in Maryland, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced.

Zinke spoke Wednesday at the Antietam National Battlefield near Sharpsburg, Md., site of an 1862 battle. He said Trump's $78,333 first-quarter salary will be combined with an anonymous donation of $22,000 and the pledge of funds by two non-profit organizations to bring the total to $263,545. The funding will restore a building and replace fencing at the battlefield site.

Trump has said he will donate his entire presidential salary to various charities and causes on a quarterly basis. On April 3 the White House announced that the National Park Service, which operates the Antietam site, would be the recipient, of his first-quarter salary.

John L. Mau III of the Civil War Trust, one of the non-profit groups donating to the Antietam site, said Wednesday, "We have in Secretary Zinke a leader who 'gets it.' He understands the many benefits of protecting battlefields, which serve as outdoor classrooms for teaching history, as places of remembrance to honor America's fallen, as heritage tourism destinations that bolster local economies, and as training grounds for the modern U.S. military."