McLoughlin House Volunteer

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If you are interested in applying please go to volunteer.gov and search for "Fort Vancouver". Select the "McLoughlin House Volunteer" opportunity and apply through the volunteer.gov webpage.

This is a volunteer position at McLoughlin House, a unit of Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. The volunteer position involves work at both the McLoughlin and Barclay Houses at the McLoughlin House site. Ongoing volunteer opportunities include, but are not limited to: tour guide/interpretation, visitor information, and general assistance.

The McLoughlin House is located at 713 Center Street, Oregon City, Oregon. Built in 1846, and moved in 1909 to its present site, it was the home of Dr. John McLoughlin, the "Father of Oregon." The McLoughlin House itself is an historic house museum interpreting the life of Dr. John McLoughlin; the site also includes the Barclay House. The Barclay house was built in 1850 by Dr. Forbes Barclay, an associate of McLoughlin’s, and is mainly used as offices and gift shop space for the site. The McLoughlin and Barclay Houses became a unit of Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in July of 2003.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Tours
• Education tours for schools groups with children of all ages
• Historical research
• General visitor and office assistance, as needed
• General cleaning in the Barclay House (offices, gift shop, meeting area)
• Specialized cleaning in the McLoughlin House (museum areas, anyone doing this work must undergo training for dealing with the special needs of the museum collection)
• Greeting visitors, answering questions, answering phones, selling merchandise in the bookstore

Knowledge and Abilities Required for the Position

• Able to stand for up to an hour at a time
• Interest in history and research is a plus

Supervision

Volunteer works under the supervision of park ranger.

Guidelines

Guidelines include established National Park Service procedures, program objectives, interpretation guidelines, legislative mandates, management policies, park practices and supervisory guidelines. Volunteer exercises judgment in identifying problems and reporting to their supervisor.

Work Environment

Work may be conducted either indoors or outdoors, there are two houses and part of the tour is often conducted outdoors between buildings. Temperatures may vary widely, and rain is possible. Physical challenges include steep stairways, some medium lifting, and cleaning tasks.

Dates

The McLoughlin House is open from mid-February to mid-December, and volunteers are needed throughout that time period. The site is open Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.