The Huntington Historical Society needs you!

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Looking for a rewarding opportunity to learn about and teach history? This is the perfect volunteer role for you! The Huntington Historical Society is a 501c3 dedicated to preserving and sharing Huntington's ongoing history and how it has developed and changed over the last 400 years. This mission is supported through public education programs, maintaining historic house museums and collections, as well as a regional research center and archive. Due to this large scope of work, the Society has a continuous need for generous individuals willing to volunteer their time. Currently we are searching for volunteers to fill the following roles:

School Program Educator

From September to June, the HHS offers programs to grades 3-5 focusing on life during the American Revolution in Huntington, NY but other programs on the Civil War, slavery, and more are in development. Programs are offered both onsite at The Conklin Farmhouse Museum and at the Kissam House Museum. We are primarily looking for individuals who can commit to an entire school year from September-June. Below are examples of the types of responsibilities a volunteer Educator may have:

• Prepping necessary materials for the programs
• Setting up the classroom space before the program begins each day
• Leading object-inquiry to introduce students to the program
• Helping instruct students on crafts and activities during the program
• Leading an interactive tour of the historic home to a class of students
• Helping clean up after class has left for the day
• Helping with marketing to schools or to help get new volunteers

Requirements:

• Ability to stand, climb stairs, and walk for extensive periods of time
• Regular availability during the week between 9am-1pm.
• Experience teaching elementary/middle school students in a classroom, museum, historic home or gallery setting preferred
• Experience using inquiry-based teaching methods preferred

Weekend House Docents

The HHS currently has a few historic properties that operate as Museums and are open to the general public, including the David Conklin House. To increase visitorship, we are seeking volunteers who can be present at this property on weekends to engage with the public. A House Docent would be responsible for the following:

• Performing opening procedures and preparing the historic home for visitors
• Logging the amount of visitors at the property each day
• Offering interpretation of the House to anyone requesting a tour
• Closing the property once the shift is complete

Requirements:

• Ability to stand, climb stairs, and walk for a 2 to 4 hour shift (with breaks)
• Comfortable engaging with the public
• Regular availability on weekends, especially Sundays
• Experience in leading tours and presenting programs to a wide variety of ages preferred
• Previous experience as a Docent in a historic home or museum a huge plus!

If interested, please reach out to directly to the Assistant Director Katie Meade at kmeade@huntingtonhistoricalsociety.org for more information!