Give History a Hand

Volunteer Opportunities at the Montgomery County Historical Society

Share Your Love of History, Give to Your Community, Learn About the Past–

Become a Museum Guide at the Montgomery County Historical Society


Do you have a passion for history and love to share it? If so, being a museum guide at the Montgomery County Historical Society is for you. The Society operates two museums in Rockville. The Beall-Dawson House is a Federal period historic house museum and the Stonestreet Museum of 19th Century Medicine illustrates medical practices of that time.


MCHS has two types of museum guides. Afternoon docents work two weekday afternoons or one weekend afternoon per month from 12:00 to 4:00. School docents work two weekday mornings per month providing school tours. In exchange docents receive on-the-job training on local history, social history and museum interpretation. They also receive special admission to programs and a 20% discount in the Museum Shop. For more information or to register to become a volunteer call Karen Lottes or Emily Correll at 301-340-2825 or kylottes@montgomeryhistory.org.

Student Service Learning Volunteer Opportunities

MCHS offers a variety of volunteer opportunities for students who want to earn Student Service Learning hours in a unique environment. Students have the opportunity to do historical research, meet the public, work with history professionals, give tours and more.

For a copy of the SSL informational flyer and an application form, please click here.

Further questions? Contact Karen Lottes at 301-340-2825 or kylottes@montgomeryhistory.org.

GIVE HISTORY A HAND

Volunteer Opportunities at the Montgomery County Historical Society


By becoming a volunteer at the Montgomery County Historical Society, you can...
• share your love of history;
• know you are actively helping to save county history;
• learn new skills and meet new people;
• receive training from experts in the history and museum fields;
• participate in special workshops and programs;
• receive a 20% discount in the Museum Shop;
• attend MCHS programs for free or reduced admission; and
• receive the monthly newsletter, Volunteers’ Matter.

MCHS VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

MUSEUMS DOCENTS


Museum Docents provide guided tours of the Federal era Beall-Dawson House Museum and the Stonestreet Museum of 19th Century Medicine in Rockville to adult and family visitors. They also staff the Museum Shop and answer telephone inquiries. A love of history and ability to work with the public are required. Training is provided. Museum hours are Tuesday to Sunday from 12:00 to 4:00. Weekday docents work two afternoons, and weekend docents work one afternoon per month. Contact: Karen Lottes, 301-340-2825.


SCHOOL & SCOUT PROGRAMS VOLUNTEERS


School Program volunteers provide tours to second, fourth and fifth grade students who visit the museums as part of the school tours program. A love of history and willingness to work with children is required. Training is provided. School Program volunteers are asked to work two to three mornings per month as needed. Contact: Emily Correll, 301-340-2825.


LIBRARY VOLUNTEERS


MCHS’s Jane C. Sween Library in Rockville and the Special Collections Library at the Waters House History Center in Germantown contain published works as well as original documents pertaining to Montgomery County and Maryland History. MCHS has extensive holdings that include over 6,000 published works; subject, photographic, genealogical and church files, newspapers, and land plats. Volunteers help keep the library holdings up to date by clipping pertinent newspaper articles, cataloguing new acquisitions, doing historical research and helping library users. Knowledge of library and archival systems is desirable but not required. On-the-job training is provided. Library volunteers develop a schedule with the MCHS librarian and/or archivist. Contact: Pat Andersen, Rockville, 301-340-2974; Alison Dineen, Germantown, 301-515-2887.


ORAL HISTORY VOLUNTEERS


The Oral History Collection at MCHS focuses on 19th and 20th century community life including local politics, government, education, agriculture, African American communities, theater, religious life, family history and public health. Volunteers are needed to transcribe tapes and conduct new interviews. Oral history training is provided, and schedules may be worked out on an individual basis. Contact: Pat Andersen, 301-240-2974.


BOOK SALE VOLUNTEERS


The annual book sale in September is one of MCHS’s largest fund raising events. Books are collected year-round, and volunteers can help by sorting books into categories and preparing them for the book sale. This work is done during the week with the most hours occurring between May 1st and September 30th. Volunteers are asked to work 3 hours per week during those month. A love of books (and possibly a good back) is all that is required. Training is provided. Contact: Karen Lottes, 301-340-2825.


OTHER VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES

Special Events: Special Events volunteers help out as needed for large programs such as the Book Sale and Happy Birthday, Montgomery County! and for community fairs and festivals. Contact: Karen Lottes, 301-340-2825.
Museum Shop: Volunteers help staff the Museum Shop during the year as well as special outreach shop events in the fall. They may also assist with inventory and display. Contact: Karen Lottes, 301-340-2825.