Why not get practical, real world experience? Why not find out what kind of work you
might like to do?
The History Department provides numerous internship opportunities for students. To
be eligible for an internship a student must have a GPA of 3.0 or better, and be willing
to work independently off campus. Applications should be submitted before the academic
semester in which the internship is expected to begin. “Learning Contract & Internship
Proposal” forms are available from the rack outside of the History Department office,
321 Champlain Valley Hall. To learn more, please contact the department chair.
In the past, the department has partnered with the following organizations to offer
internships to students:
Adirondack History Center Museum and Essex County Historical Society
Through its museum, research library and public programs, the museum explores the
history of the Adirondacks and county. www.adkhistorycenter.org
Adirondack Museum
Dedicated to preserving the history of the Adirondacks, the Adirondack Museum includes
almost 30 buildings and a diverse collection of historical, archival and artistic
materials. www.adkmuseum.org
Champlain Valley Transportation Museum
Founded in 2000 and first dedicated to the history of Lozier Motors, the museum now
covers a variety of transportation in the region. cvtmuseum.wix.com/cvt-museum
Clinton County Historian’s Office
Designed to collect, record and preserve the history of Clinton County, the Historian’s
Office maintains archival holdings for virtually every facet of the county’s history.
www.clintoncountygov.com/Departments/Historian/HistorianHomePage.html
Clinton County Historical Association
Occupying the Four Chimneys building on the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base, the
museum interprets the area’s history from the earliest recorded times (1600) to the
present day through its collections of paintings, maps, furniture and decorative arts.
www.clintoncountyhistorical.org
Kent‑Delord House Museum
The oldest building in Plattsburgh, it affords a unique glimpse into Plattsburgh’s
early history and most prominent families. www.kentdelordhouse.org
Lake Placid Olympic Museum
The Lake Placid Olympic Museum commemorates the 1932 Winter Olympics and 1980 Winter
Olympics, which were based in the village. www.lpom.org
North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association
The NCUGRHA researches, preserves and interprets the history of the Underground Railroad,
slavery and abolition along the Upper Hudson River-Champlain Canal-Lake Champlain
corridor of northeast New York. www.northcountryundergroundrailroad.com
Shelburne Museum
Shelburne Museum is a museum of art and Americana located in Shelburne, Vt. Over 150,000
works are exhibited in 39 exhibition buildings, 25 of which are historic and were
relocated to the museum grounds. shelburnemuseum.org
Special Collections, Feinberg Library
Rare and archival materials focused on the North Country of New York State. Types
of opportunities include preparing an exhibit (physical and virtual) of Civil War
letters written by local people; and an exhibit on the history of the Plattsburgh
Normal School. Click here.
War of 1812 Museum and Cold War Museum
Operating the Battle of Plattsburgh Interpretive Center, the Battle of Plattsburgh
Association is expanding its focus to the history of the former Plattsburgh Air Force
Base. www.battleofplattsburgh.org/museum.html
Internship Profiles
Steffaney Wilcox at Adirondack Museum
I was an intern for the Adirondack Museum during the summer of 2016. I worked within
the Education Department, talking with visitors about various exhibits on logging,
hunting, fishing, boating and many other aspects of living in the Adirondacks. I was
able to meet with school groups from local Adirondack schools, local residents and
tourists from around the world, educating them on aspects of the Adirondacks. Additionally,
the museum opened the Minnow Pond Trail for public use for the first time and I was
part of the crew which helped prepare the trail for visitors. The trail is intended
to be an interactive way to learn about the environment of the Adirondacks today,
in addition to how it has changed throughout history.
During my internship, I worked with the amazing staff at the museum, learned to row
an Adirondack guideboat, and conducted research on guiding in the Adirondacks. I was
also able to live Fowler Cottage, one of the original buildings on the museum’s campus.
Jackie Mead at Montpelier
I recently started an archaeology internship at James Madison’s Montpelier. Montpelier
is the Virginia home of the fourth president of the United States, and includes a
mansion and miles of surrounding grounds.
Currently, the archaeology department is searching for the cultural remains of the
enslaved population as part of a new exhibit on slavery and the constitution. A large
part of the slave dwellings have been reconstructed, and will be open to the public
on June 4th. We are currently looking for a fence line that separated the South Yard
(domestic slaves) from the Stable Quarter (laboring slaves). Eventually, the fence
will be reconstructed and everything inside it will be ticketed. I’ve spent the last
week excavating units and re-learning how to do archaeology. In a week and a half,
I will be teaching a field school of fifteen students. The field school will run for
four weeks, after which I will most likely head back home. It’s hard work in the hot
sun, but it’s exciting to already have “archaeologist” on my name tag!
Samantha Johnson in Sherbrooke
I was an archival intern at the Eastern Townships Resource Centre (ETRC) in Sherbrooke,
Quebec for six weeks. My tasks consisted of processing incoming materials, transcribing
19th century letters, updating the ETRC Facebook page, and helping prepare for a photography
exhibition. In addition to handling historical documents, I really enjoyed observing
the interaction between ETRC and the community. There is a strong sense of cultural
pride in the region, and it is very rewarding to know that my work there will have
a positive impact on preserving the local heritage.