The Washington County Historical Society relies on community volunteers to carry out each and every one of its projects. Volunteers do everything from maintaining the museum facilities to leading tours to baking cookies. We love our volunteers!
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In order to best match the needs and skills of our volunteers with our organization, we offer two volunteer programs. We also welcome college students to contact us about internships and practicums.
On-Call Volunteers
On-Call Volunteers provide assistance on an as-needed basis. These volunteers agree to be contacted from time to time to assist with one-time, short-term needs as they arise. On-Call Volunteers can accept or decline these calls for help at any time. Being included in our On-Call Volunteer contact list is great for those with busy schedules who are not able to commit to a more in-depth, ongoing volunteer experience.
Sample On-Call Volunteer tasks: hanging flyers around the local community, manning the ticket booth at Living History Weekend, preparing a dish for a food-based event, shoveling the museum deck after a snow, dressing in period costume to welcome a visiting school group, etc.
On-Call Volunteers can expect to spend 1-2 hours a month on average assisting the WCHS.
Project Volunteers
Project Volunteers provide assistance on a regular, scheduled basis. These volunteer placements are great for those who desire to be more deeply involved in working on a program from beginning to end.
Sample Project Volunteer tasks: conducting research for a new museum exhibit, serving on a planning committee for an upcoming event, transcribing historical documents, attending monthly regional tourism meetings on behalf of the museum, etc.
Because we want Project Volunteers to be involved with tasks that interest them and are appropriate for their skill set, all Project Volunteer placements will require the completion of short application. Some Project Volunteer projects may require additional training.
Project Volunteers can expect to devote approximately 6-10 hours a month assisting the WCHS.
Internships
The WCHS also welcomes college students to contact us regarding arranging an internship or practicum at the Port o’ Plymouth Museum. We are able to accommodate a variety of Public History based projects, including: archival records management, museum education, collection management, heritage tourism and museum programming. Some internship tasks can be completed off-site for those students who are not able to travel to Plymouth on a regular basis.
If you are interested in discussing how you can become involved with the WCHS as a volunteer or intern, please contact Elizabeth at (252) 793-1377.