Public History Internships
Kathryn Slover
Old Orange County Courthouse, Santa Ana, California
Kathryn Slover completed her internship at the Old Orange County Courthouse in Santa
Ana, California. The Old Courthouse is one of several historic locations run by the
Orange County Parks Department. The Courthouse is home to county offices, a library,
an exhibit hall, and one of the original courtrooms. Her internship included working
on the digitization of the Geivet photo collection using PastPerfect, developing an
online management plan for the collection, organizing and inventorying storage lockers,
writing an exhibit outline on the post-World War II suburbanization of Orange County,
and selecting artifacts and photographs for the exhibit. She went to several different
archives and historical societies in the county to complete research.
Bradley Boshers
Metropolitan Government Archives, Nashville, Tennessee
In the summer of 2015 Bradley Boshers had the opportunity to intern with the Metropolitan
Government Archives, the official archival repository for Nashville and Davidson County
and a division of the Nashville Public Library. He served as the processing intern
for Metro Archives, and worked on processing the Nashville Public Library collection.
The Nashville Public Library collection is a rich record of library operations stretching
from the late 1800’s to 1999. Although stored in the archive, this collection was
previously inaccessible and lacked any sort of finding aid. This summer he worked
to catalog the contents of the collection, put it into an arrangement, and document
the contents and arrangement in a finding aid. During this process, he also spent
time learning and practicing archival conservation techniques.
Lindsay Hagar
John Hope & Aurelia Franklin Library, Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee
Lindsay Hager interned at John H. and Aurelia Franklin Library’s Special Collections
Department and the Scarritt Bennett Center in Nashville, Tennessee. The current Franklin
library building, opened in 1970, is across the lawn from Cravath Hall, which was
home to Fisk’s library from 1930 to 1970. As part of Fisk University, the library
contains an extensive collection of resources related to African American and Fisk
history that draw researchers from around the world. Lindsay’s work fell into four
main categories: remote reference, research assistance, technical services, and archival
processing. At Scarritt Bennett Center, a non-profit dedicated to continuing the social justice mission of Scarritt College
(1924-1988), she helped get the Racial Justice Oral History Project started, focusing on best practices
and equipment recommendations, completing background research, and conducting interviews.
Ashley Cole
Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville, Tennessee
Ashley Cole worked in the Conservation Lab at the Tennessee State Library and Archives,
and Carol Roberts, State Conservator, served as her mentor. She learned the basics
of conservation, including proper care and handling, proper storage, conservation
techniques, and archival environmental considerations for a variety of materials.
Although she spent the bulk of her time on paper conservation of 200+ year-old land
grants form Record Group 50, she was also exposed to other archival materials, such
as photographic negatives and prints, books and scrapbooks, as well as three-dimensional
objects. Rather than restoring a document to what it once was, the lab’s goal is to
prevent further damage. Therefore, proper storage, environmental controls, and handling
procedures prevent further deterioration, are important aspects of the conservation
lab’s work at TSLA. During her time in the Conservation Lab, she gained a working
knowledge of various preservation skills, including de-acidification of paper, document
mending, building custom-fitted boxes, encapsulation, tape removal, and glass plate
negative cleaning. Overall, the internship was a useful experience for learning the
appropriate ways to maintain and care for archival materials.
Dixie Johnson
Frist Visual Arts Center, Nashville, Tennessee
Dixie Johnson completed 300 hours as an intern in the Education and Community Outreach
department of the Frist Visual Arts Center of Nashville, Tennessee. She worked closely
with her two mentors to develop educational materials and resources, conduct in-depth
exhibit research for interpretive programming, and assist with partnership building.
Her internship at the Frist helped her better understand the nonprofit world, the
Frist’s role as a community leader, and the importance of cooperation and synergy
between community partners. During this valuable, hands-on experience, she was able
to hone and acquire knowledge and skills that will be an incredible asset as she continues
her studies in the Public History field.
Veronica Sales
Montana Preservation Alliance, Helena, Montana
Veronica Sales interned at the Montana Preservation Alliance in Helena, Montana, in
the summer of 2015. During her internship with this small non-profit, Sales worked
on the Big Sky Schoolhouse Survey Project, MPA’s statewide survey of historic one-
and two-room schoolhouses. Sales was responsible for locating and documenting schools
in Beaverhead County, the largest county in the state. She researched all of this
county’s historic schools (approximately 75) using primary and secondary resources;
determined which of these were still standing; photographed, measured, and mapped
each school; wrote architectural descriptions; and entered this information into a
comprehensive database. Sales drove hundreds of miles across the county and ultimately
found 19 schools still standing. The work she did on this survey project will ultimately
be used by MPA to raise awareness of these endangered structures and will be included
in the state antiquities database. Sales was also fortunate to work with MPA’s director
at Glacier National Park to do an inventory of historic resources along the original
entrance to the park and along the Going-To-The-Sun Road.
Melissa Hope
Dixon Pentecostal Research Center, Cleveland, Tennessee
Melissa Hope interned at the Dixon Pentecostal Research Center on the Lee University campus in Cleveland, Tennessee as the Project Director for the biennial permanent exhibition development. Her job was to design and produce a traveling and permanent exhibition. The exhibition would travel first for one week to Orlando, Florida and upon return to Tennessee be set up for a two year period. Melissa also planned the exhibit opening. As project director Melissa was responsible for the budget, creative design, narrative, research, production, public relations, all employees and volunteers and any other planning and execution.
Ellen Harper
Historic Travellers Rest Plantation and Museum, Nashville, TN
As a Collections Intern at Travellers Rest, her main project was organizing and cataloguing the Photograph/Digital Media Collection as well as creating a guidebook for this collection. She also cleaned and updated collections notebooks in the historic house, entered and edited PastPerfect collections records, organized and cleaned the collections library storage area, stored collections in acid-free storage, and assisted at the Visitor Center front desk. The purpose of her projects during this internship was to organize and store the collections in a way that was not only better for the preservation of the materials, but also in a way that allows easier access.
Evan Spencer
Rutherford County Archives, Murfreesboro, TN
Evan Spencer interned at the Rutherford County Archives in the summer of 2014. He continued the processing, digitizing, and describing of the Shacklett’s Historical Photographs Collection, which has over 30,000 photographs and negatives spanning over one hundred years of Middle Tennessee history. He also converted Rutherford County tax books to microfilm.
Amanda Barry
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, Washington, D.C.
Amanda Barry did many things for her internship with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), but her chief responsibility was developing case studies for the Office of Preservation Initiatives (OPI) highlighting preservation efforts of underrepresented Preserve America communities and Preserve America grant recipients. These case studies were designed to be handouts for the ACHP to distribute at various functions and will eventually contribute to the web series portion of “Building a More Inclusive Preservation Program.” She also worked with the Preserve America database as well as basic organizing and filing of ACHP documents. She worked closely with OPI Director Ron Anzalone and Preserve America coordinator Judy Rodenstein to develop a public-friendly platform to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act. She was afforded many extra opportunities while interning for the Council including attending a Section 106 Training Seminar, the Congressional Summit on Travel and Tourism, a Partners in Heritage Tourism meeting, the National Park Service internship orientation, and the Council’s Summer Business Meeting in Philadelphia.
Thomas Anderson
Red Clay State Historical Park, Cleveland, Tennessee
Thomas Anderson interned at Red Clay State Historical Park in Cleveland Tennessee as a Seasonal Interpretive Ranger. As an Interpretive Ranger he was responsible for providing interpretive programs. Seasonal Interpretive Rangers are given the freedom to follow their interests in creating public programs as long as the programs meet the mission of the park. He also assisted park rangers in the protection of the natural or cultural features. Additional duties included general administrative responsibilities, writing reports, maintaining records, executing work assignments, and inspecting and maintaining buildings, grounds and equipment. He also worked with volunteers for special events or projects; often this included having to calling potential volunteers or advertising at the park.
Olivia Beaudry
Grand Ole Opry, Nashville, Tennessee
Olivia Beaudry’s internship experience at the Grand Ole Opry was a great hands-on experience that bolstered not only her archival knowledge and skills but also her area of interest and study in country music history. The title given to her was Museum Archive Intern and she worked directly under the Grand Ole Opry Museum and Photograph Curator, Brenda Colladay. The internship included duties such as cataloging, documenting and organizing the various artifacts in the Ryman Auditorium Collection. She also assisted in moving some of the three-dimensional collections to a new location and assisted with the digital and physical photograph collection. Skills gained included: proficiency in PastPerfect; an ability to organize collections based on a preexisting system; and strengthened photography handling skills.
Lane Tilner
John Early Museum Magnet Middle Prep, Nashville, Tennessee
Lane Tillner interned with John Early Museum Magnet Middle Prep in Nashville, TN. She reorganized accession records, identified artifacts, matched records to artifacts, and restructured artifact storage. She also mentored the Junior Curators Club and led the members through different activities each week. In addition, Tillner also selected one hundred and fifty objects for JEMMMP’s first exhibit when its museum opens in Fall 2015. John Early Museum Magnet Middle Prep is one of two museum magnet schools in Nashville. Museum magnet schools incorporate museum theory and practices in classroom learning.
Brad Miller
Land Trust for Tennessee's Glen Leven Farm, Nashville, Tennessee
Brad Miller interned at the Land Trust for Tennessee’s Glen Leven Farm in Nashville, Tennessee. He developed a walking tour to highlight the property’s status as a designated arboretum and researched the enslaved population that lived and worked at Glen Leven. Daily responsibilities on the farm ranged from researching on the computer, answering questions for Land Trust guests, and caring for the plants and animals on the 65-acre farm. The internship also exposed Miller to the inter-workings of a non-profit organization and the interesting balance between historic preservation and land conservation.
Lindsey Whitley
Middle Tennessee Museum of Natural History, Murfreesboro, Tennessee
At The Middle Tennessee Museum of Natural History Lindsey Whitley cataloged over 1000 artifacts. She accessioned the artifacts by giving each a designated accession or loan number, provided an item description; enter all relevant information, height, width, weight, and weight along with a photograph the object. She provided electronic (PastPerfect) and paper copies of each artifact. She created a location file to ensure each artifact has a proper space (once the layout of each artifact is determined). She also created an annual fundraising kid-friendly event, NaturALE Festival, which promotes beer and history by bringing the community together. With her team, she created a network of people in the media, county, city, the university, The Gem and Mineral Society and other members. They promoted the museum through social media and she assisted with maintaining updates.
Ashley Layhew
Tennessee State Museum, Nashville, Tennessee
Ashley Layhew’s internship was completed at the Tennessee State Museum, in the curatorial department. She worked with Dr. Miranda Fraley-Rhodes, the Manager of Curatorial Interpretive Planning. During her time there, she worked to number, catalog, photograph, and pack items for housing, as well as rehouse items that were already taken into the collection. She did this as part of the Save America’s Treasures Grant. In August, she began to prepare the State Museum’s exhibit for the Chattanooga Sesquicentennial in October 2013.
Matt Norwood
Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame Archives, Murfreesboro, TN
The Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame Archives internship required the processing of collections, the development of finding aids, and maintaining archival material. The internship was grant-driven, meaning that money was spent as the internship was conducted. Part of this internship also involved creating a work order for archival supplies, such as photo sleeves, folders, and boxes. The main responsibilities of this internship were to complete three manuscript collections, process and arrange a book collection, and digitize photographs. This archive is a new campus-based institution located in MTSU Aerospace Department that is still attempting to “get off its feet.” A mission statement and collections development policy is still being revised, and new exhibits are being created.
Susan London-Sherer
Rutherford County Archaeology Research Project, Eagleville, Tennessee
This accredited archaeological field school internship was conducted at the Magnolia Valley site, a 370-acre horse farm. Susan London-Sherer’s responsibilities were twofold, and included historic document archival research along with mastering archaeological excavation techniques in order to achieve certification for seven weeks of field school when the project was complete. Some of the jobs she did included: deed research, genealogical research, and census information research, shovel testing, screening soil for artifacts, identifying artifacts, strategically digging excavation units, mapping excavation units, field drawings, recording field data, identifying soil color and texture, land survey practices, laying out an excavation grid, shoveling techniques, troweling, photographing excavation units, and remote sensing or near-surface applied geophysics techniques like Magnetometry (MAG), electromagnetic-induction (EMI), and ground penetrating radar.
David Collyer
Stones River National Battlefield, Murfreesboro, TN
David Collyer interned at Stones River National Battlefield. During this internship, Collyer spent time working in the Visitor’s Center. He did things such as help people walk on the same grounds their ancestors fought on, create personalized programs, and give interpretative tours of the grounds. In addition to the visitor interaction, Collyer also spent time working with the extensive collection at Stones River. He accessioned and cataloged artifacts, worked on the annual inventory and helped design an exhibit panel.
Aja Bain
Kentucky Historical Society, Frankfort, KY
Aja Bain worked with the Kentucky Historical Society in Frankfort as a Digitization Coordination Intern with the Churchill Weavers Collection. Her job included cataloging, photographing, processing, and publicizing the Churchill Weavers fabric archive that is so unique and important to twentieth-century Kentucky history. Bain learned a lot about the effort that goes into preserving a museum collection, and insights into the workings of a multi-departmental state historical institution.
Mike Browning
Stones River National Battlefield, Murfreesboro, TN
Mike Browning interned at Stones River National Battlefield under the mentorship of Park Ranger Jim Lewis. During the internship, Browning produced 17 videos for Stones River to be posted to the National Park Service (NPS) Facebook page on the 150th anniversary of Stones River as well as other interpretative and living history programs throughout the spring and summer of 2013. Browning's internship included shadowing rangers on interpretative programs as well as developing his own interpretative story to deliver to visitors. He told the story of Albert Ellis, a 111th USCT soldier who helped re-inter Union soldiers in the Stones River National Cemetery in 1866, according to Freedman's Bureau records.
Joseph Bryan
Virginia Museum of Transportation, Roanoke, VA
Joseph Bryan interned at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke, Virginia. He worked in the collections department with curator Deena Sasser as his advisor. Bryan's main project consisted of cataloging the museum's collection into the PastPerfect computer software. Most of the collection had never been cataloged making it a great introduction to collections management. Bryan also assisted the other departments with projects including grant writing, social media management, marketing, public relations, special events, and daily operations.
Alex Collins
Stones River National Battlefield, Murfreesboro, TN
Alex Collins worked with park staff to manage the museum collection, historic landscapes, answer research requests, and learn how cultural resources management aids interpretation at the park. Some of her responsibilities included collecting environmental data and performing housekeeping tasks in the museum collection and exhibits, improving the appearance and condition of cultural landscapes by managing exotic plants, developing and giving an interpretive program, designing a temporary exhibit panel, and conducting archival management. Collins' duties were primarily divided between natural resources management, the museum, and visitor services and interpretation.
Candace Cupps
Rutherford County Archives, Murfreesboro, TN
Candace Cupps' responsibilities for her internship consisted of scanning historic photographs, preserving photographs, and organizing pictures in the archive data base. Her primary projects were the Health Department Collection and the Shacklett Collection. She also learned the ins and outs of the Rutherford County Archives from answering the phone to helping genealogists with research.
Michelle Gauthier
Women's Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls, NY
Michelle Gauthier developed and implemented a virtual exhibit to be uploaded onto the NPS Web Catalog, which involved photographing 50 artifacts from the Park's archaeological collection. She also presented an informal "Curator's Corner" to the public in which she discussed her project with visitors and shared with them her research on the artifacts. Summer in Seneca Falls provided Gauthier with opportunities to learn about the area's history, archaeology, and material culture.
Savannah Grandey
Land Trust for Tennessee's Glen Leven Farm, Nashville, TN
Savannah Grandey spent the majority of her internship developing educational programs to meet Tennessee state standards that depict Glen Leven Farm as a dynamic local landscape that conveys broad trends of national and regional significance. Glen Leven has an antebellum home and its outbuildings on 65-acres, most of which is wilderness. These facilities allows for the use of the landscape as an outdoor classroom. Her internship experience exposed Grandey to the incidence of historic preservation goals and objectives within a conservation agency, a perpetual balancing act.
Elaura Highfield
Monticello, Charlottesville, VA
Elaura Highfield interned at Monticello in the Education and Visitor Programs Department. Her weeks were divided between tours and research. She gave guided tours of the first floor of Jefferson's house and also gave Family Friendly Tours. For her individual project, Highfield researched Charlottesville's local and regional families so that Monticello could address this group's unique needs and better invest in this facet of the community. Although she developed many new skills through this position, she most valued it for improving her ability to engage with the public and foster historical discussion.
Mark Mullen
Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Washington D.C.
Mark Mullen did a ten week long internship at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Funding was provided through the Access to Opportunities Program which provides paid internships for individuals with disabilities. Under the direction of Dr. Katherine Ott in the division of science and medicine and Roger White in the division of work and industry, Mullen began a project documenting the history of automobiles modified for drivers with disabilities. He compiled an extensive digital and hard copy file which was added to the NMAH's automotive library for preservation and the use of current and future researchers. A collection plan was also developed to acquire artifacts for future exhibits.
Jennifer E. Ray
Murfreesboro Little Theater, Murfreesboro, TN
Jennifer E. Ray internship at the Murfreesboro Little Theater consisted of creating a digital archive of the theater's memorabilia included photographs, play bills, cast and crew correspondence, and newspaper articles. The intent of the digitization was to create an online digital archive accessible to visitors as well as implement a greater degree of cooperation between past and current members for the purpose of expanding the archive. During her internship, she worked closely with council members as well as the general public to compile a thorough digital history of the Murfreesboro Little Theater and its association with the city of Murfreesboro.
Holly Rogers
Chickamauga Battlefield, Fort Oglethorpe, GA
Holly Rogers interned with Chickamauga Battlefield, a part of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, and the Friends of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. She digitized regimental files while garnering a better understanding of the National Park Service and how it functioned. Rogers also assisted in orienting visitors to Chickamauga Battlefield. The Friends of the Park is a nonprofit organization that she assisted in constructing a list of past board members and entering donations into their database. She assisted both organizations in planning for the Sesquicentennial Events occurring in the fall of 2013 for Chickamauga and Chattanooga's Civil War Battles.
Beth Rouse
Stones River National Battlefield, Murfreesboro, TN
Beth Rouse worked at Stones River National Battlefield as an interpretation intern. Her duties included working in visitors' services, giving programs, and developing an informative component for the battlefield driving tour. She spent a great deal of time in the Visitors' Center giving information, answering questions, and interacting with the public. She also developed a smartphone component for one stop of the battlefield driving tour that will enable the visitor to scan a code and access additional information for that particular stop.
Kayla Utendorf
Ward M. Canaday Center for Special Collections, University of Toledom, Toledo, OH
Kayla Utendorf worked at the Canaday Center which is a part of the William S. Carlson Library. The Canaday Center houses rare books, manuscript collections, and the University archives. Uterndorf was involved with several projects during the summer. Her first task was to process a collection consisting of the papers of a student who attended the university in the 1930s and create a finding aid to be published on the Center's website. Her biggest project was to assist with the compiling of the "Letters of Luminaries" exhibit which the Center will be installed in the fall of 2013.
Danielle Ullrich
Tennessee State Museum
Danielle Ullrich interned at the Tennessee State Museum in the Curator of Extension services. She was able to experience how a large museum runs first hand, and was able to handle some exciting objects. She assisted in moving three traveling exhibits across Middle Tennessee, helped the Curator prepare for two collections management workshops, and cataloged a collection of 47 images of Confederate cavalrymen. Ullrich thoroughly enjoyed this experience and learned a great deal working alongside her mentor at the museum, Myers Brown.
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