Boston National Historical Park and Marblehead Museum Seek Volunteers

Boston National Historical Park is recruiting history-loving volunteers to help the hundreds of thousands of visitors expected to come through its new Faneuil Hall Visitor Center, opening on 25 May. These Volunteers-In-Parks (V.I.P.’s, get it?) will work alongside National Park Service employees and partners to share facts about Boston’s history, answer telephones, distribute program tickets, and provide visitors with a friendly welcome.

Volunteers can enjoy behind-the-scenes tours, continuing-education learning opportunities, and some special programs. The call says, “Tax credits, senior citizens’ reimbursements and, in some cases, reimbursements for out-of-pocket expenses may be available. The park service will provide volunteer uniforms and professional training.”

The park asks volunteers to commit to working a shift of two to four hours per week for a minimum of two years. For more information on the program, contact manager Bernadette Williams by email or at 617-242-5222.

For folks on the North Shore, the Marblehead Museum is also seeking volunteers in the Jeremiah Lee Mansion. These guides welcome visitors to that house and lead them through the three floors of furnished rooms, placing merchant and politician Jeremiah Lee within the history of Marblehead and colonial America.

The museum provides guides with training and asks them to commit to a three-hour weekly schedule any day from Tuesday through Saturday. Becoming a volunteer requires an interview and references. The museum’s Welcome Breakfast for new and returning guides is on the morning of Saturday, 5 May. For more information about volunteering, call Pam Peterson at 781-631-1768.

Of course, other N.P.S. sites and local historical museums also want dedicated volunteers, especially with the summer season coming soon, so if you’ve got time, ask your favorite nearby site.