Celebrate National Volunteer Week with Us

There’s just one week left to vote on the Pennsylvania History Bill of Rights poll (to the right of your screen).

One of the first posts I wrote for Trailheads (way back in August) was about our volunteer-of-the-year honorees for 2009. I mentioned how much we rely on volunteers to carry out the work of our historic sites and museums. That is truer now than it was even then. So as we approach National Volunteer Week (April 18-24), I thought it made sense to do a little recruiting.

Is this a blatant cry for help? You bet it is. But as any of you who have volunteered your time for a worthy cause well know, the rewards are great. The sites on the Trails of History offer tremendous opportunities to support and preserve Pennsylvania’s rich heritage and to help make it accessible and exciting to the public.

PHMC/Erie Maritime Museum and Flagship Niagara

In western Pennsylvania, you can work with the Erie Maritime Museum and Flagship Niagara, Drake Well Museum in Titusville, Old Economy Village in Ambridge, Bushy Run Battlefield in Jeannette, or Somerset Historical Center.

Folks in the northern tier with a love of the outdoors may find the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Galeton to their liking.

PHMC/Pennsylvania Military Museum

Sites in the central part of the state include the Pennsylvania Military Museum in Boalsburg, Joseph Priestley House in Northumberland, Cornwall Iron Furnace, and the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg (the Pennsylvania State Archives welcomes volunteers as well).

Northeastern Pennsylvanians can volunteer at the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum or Scranton Iron Furnaces in Scranton or at Eckley Miners’ Village in Weatherly.

PHMC/Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania

Moving into southcentral Pennsylvania, we have opportunities at Conrad Weiser Homestead in Womelsdorf, Daniel Boone Homestead in Birdsboro, Ephrata Cloister, Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum in Lancaster, and Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg.

PHMC/Graeme Park

And heading east into the Philadelphia area, we have Brandywine Battlefield in Chadds Ford, Hope Lodge in Fort Washington, Graeme Park in Horsham, Pennsbury Manor in Morrisville, and Washington Crossing Historic Park.

That laundry list doesn’t do justice to the thrills, spills, and chills awaiting volunteers on the Trails of History. If anyone reading this is a volunteer at one of our sites, please feel free to add a comment--click on the number next to the word “Comment” in the heading to this post--and share your (far more interesting) insights. Just one more way you’ll be helping us out.