Ellwood Interpretive Volunteer

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Under the supervision of park staff, the volunteer will help staff Ellwood, a historic slave plantation and home on the Wilderness Battlefield. Interpretive service volunteers provide orientation to the park, relevant historical information, and represent the National Park Service in a professional manner.

Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park is committed to telling an inclusive, comprehensive, and well-informed history of the U.S. Civil War and its aftermath. As the park’s mission statement notes, the Interpretive Branch of the park is responsible for telling the history of our sites within the "larger context of the Civil War and American history, including the causes and consequences of the war and its effect on the American people." This includes interpreting potentially difficult subjects such as slavery as a cause of the Civil War, wartime emancipation, Civil War memory, and the unfinished work of Reconstruction. Interpretation at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania NMP is informed by current professional scholarship on these subjects.

As key members of the park’s interpretive team, volunteers will adhere to and support these goals.

Additionally, volunteers in the Interpretive Branch at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania NMP agree to support the National Park Service’s mission. This includes providing safe, welcoming, and respectful spaces for all park visitors and interacting with one another as well as staff in a positive way. Volunteers are an essential part of the park’s team and are held to the same standards of conduct as park staff members.

All interpretive services volunteers will complete training with NPS staff on the principles of interpretation as well as the major historical themes represented at this park.

Start Date - 2024-06-08

End Date - 2024-10-19

Activities include: Research/Librarian;Tour Guide/Interpretation;Visitor Information