Pejepscot Historical Society to hold volunteer training April 11, 12

BRUNSWICK — Pejepscot Historical Society will conduct its annual training for new volunteers on April 11 and 12.
The society is seeking volunteer tour guides for its two historic house museums — the Joshua L. Chamberlain Museum and Skolfield-Whittier House – as well as volunteers to work in the offices, collections, and doing light maintenance.

Training will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 11, and 9 a.m. to noon Thursday, April 12.
“From day one, PHS has relied on the hard work and commitment of a large corps of volunteers in all areas of the organization,” said Executive Director Larissa Vigue Picard. “We couldn’t operate without them. Their contributions are priceless.”
Prospective volunteers must attend one of the two training sessions, and must register for the training by April 9 by emailing info@pejepscothistorical.org. Those interested also may wish to complete the online PHS volunteer form at www.pejepscothistorical.org/about-us/volunteer/application. Trainingr sessions include an introduction to the organization and properties, tours of the museums, first person accounts from veteran volunteers, small group discussion, resource materials and refreshments.
Volunteer tour guides, or docents, receive a training manual and must shadow experienced guides in the spring before escorting their own tours. Both house museums open Memorial Day Weekend and are open through the fall. Standard tours are 45-60 minutes in length. Docents must have an interest in history, a desire to work with the public and people of all ages, good presentation skills, and be able to climb stairs and be on their feet for at least an hour at a time.
Volunteers in the PHS offices and collections do not need any prior experience but must be enthusiastic about local history and supporting a community organization. Tasks may include data entry, organizing collection items and working on exhibits, light maintenance or grounds work, assisting with hanging posters in town or other errands, helping at programs, and more.
All volunteers receive free admission to the museums, free access to archival research, and an invitation to an annual volunteer celebration in the fall. For more information on volunteering at PHS, visit www.pejepscothistorical.org/about-us/volunteer.
The Pejepscot Historical Society preserves, interprets and promotes the history of Brunswick, Topsham, and Harpswell through its collections, programs and historic house museums.