Summer Intern

Spend your summer in one of Maine’s most iconic small villages! Nestled on the banks of the Kennebec River, historic Hallowell is a picturesque community offering a vibrant main street and active culture and arts scene. Vaughan Woods & Historic Homestead is located in the heart of the small city and offers an 8-week summer internship for college students to work in its nature preserve, on the gardens and grounds and in the historic house museum.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Vaughan Woods & Historic Homestead is a non-profit nature preserve and non-traditional house museum that seeks to connect people to place through nature, history and the arts. Vaughan Woods is open to the public daily from dawn to dusk, programs are offered at the Homestead throughout the year, and an effort to catalogue the organization’s collection of historical papers and artifacts is ongoing.

Applications are due March 1, 2024

Nature Preserve & Gardens:

For interns interested in focusing on work in the nature preserve and gardens, tasks and project areas may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• trail maintenance
• caring for vegetable garden beds and chickens (veggies and eggs go to local food bank and interns) and assisting with maintenance of a c. 1890 colonial revival flower garden
• invasive plant control
• assisting with guided walks and educational programming
• administering visitor surveys/collecting visitor data

Focus for 2024: vegetable garden bed improvements, managing invasive plants, and designing educational signage for new trailhead facility

Historic House Museum:

For interns interested in focusing on the museum, tasks may include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• assisting with house tours & educational programming 
• organizing and cataloguing museum documents and artifacts
• digitizing historic documents and photographs
• assisting with maintenance of c. 1890 colonial revival flower garden
• designing online exhibits

Focus for 2024: In 2024 we will be focused on updating entries in our collections database and scanning photographs and documents. Other opportunities include organizing a special collection and creating a finding aid, building an online exhibit/virtual field trip/virtual tour, supporting work on a new collections management plan and a new interpretive plan . . . 

General Support (performed by all staff):

• working programs and events
• assisting with work on the grounds, gardens, and trails
• performing light housekeeping

Interested applicants must be able to perform physically demanding field work, enjoy working with children and the general public, be comfortable multi-tasking in the office, and be interested in historic preservation, Maine history and the natural world.

Independent Research Opportunities: 
The opportunity to conduct independent research projects related to either the historic collections of Vaughan Homestead or to the ecology or recreational use of Vaughan Woods is available to VWHH interns, but is not a requirement of the internship. The range of topics for research within our archive and in the Woods is vast, including, but not limited to, Maine history, early agriculture, women’s history, land conservation, 18th – 20th century art, monarch habitat, water quality, erosion control, invasive species, recreational management issues etc.. Interested students should contact VWHH to discuss their areas of interest. 

VWHH will help students frame research questions and identify areas within the collection to conduct research. We ask that students work with an advisor from their college or university on their independent projects, and that they submit a final report to VWHH upon completion of their summer research.

Final Presentation
Interns will be asked to give a final presentation about their experience and/or project to the VWHH Board of Directors and volunteers. Presentations are informal and take place in a supportive and friendly environment. 

Compensation: 
VWHH provides a stipend of $1,000 as well as housing. Interns and students conducting independent research projects are encouraged to apply for grant funding or work study funds from their college or university to compensate their time with VWHH. Accommodations are offered at Vaughan Homestead’s Guest House, which is adjacent to the historic property, offers a sweeping view of the Kennebec River and is within walking distance of downtown Hallowell. The house will be shared with interns from the Kennebec Land Trust and other local organizations. Roommates (two people/bedroom) may be necessary depending on the number of interns hired each year. 

VWHH Supervision: 
Interns will report to Kate Tremblay, Executive Director; however, they will have the opportunity to work with a variety of staff and volunteers. 

Hours: 
Flexible hours; 25-40 hours a week, including some Saturdays and Sundays; June-August; some weeks will consist of more work hours than others. The ideal start date is  June 1; however, this could be flexible for students whose classes go into June. 

Qualifications:

• Minimum of one year of college, with preference to students working towards degrees in education, environmental science, recreation, art, and history or museum studies; other majors will be considered
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Strong organizational and time management skills
• Ability to perform moderately strenuous manual labor
• Comfortable working outside
• Valid driver’s licens