2024 Historic Sites’ Internship

Terms of position:  One internship for 26 weeks from mid-May to mid-November. Work week is Monday through Friday with alternating weekend duty and compensatory time off.  988 total hours for the entire length of the internship based on a 38 hour work week.     

Location:  Homestead Prairie Farm, a circa 1860 living history house museum, and Rock Springs Nature Center are both located on the grounds of Rock Springs Conservation Area near Decatur, Illinois.

Salary/Stipend/Housing:  $15.00/hour at 38 hours/week. Intern also receives a $300 monthly housing stipend payment.  The stipend is pro-rated for partial months. No on-site housing is available, but the site is near Decatur, Illinois. Intern position is entitled to earn Paid Time Off (PTO) beginning first day of employment accruing one hour for every 40 hours work.  PTO may be used after first 90 days of employment.

Scope:  The historic sites’ internship is a great opportunity for anyone starting a career in the historic site or history museum field.  Interns gain varied work experience through a wide range of tasks. They include duties in education and interpretation, volunteer training and management, children’s summer day camps, collections care, exhibits, purchasing, publicity/marketing, historical research, and other museum or site administrative tasks as needed. While the duties remain the same each year, special projects and new priorities make each intern’s experience unique from year to year.   

Duties include all of these areas:

Interpretation/Education:  Assist with third person interpretation at the District’s historic sites. Most interpretive programming takes place at Homestead Prairie Farm, but may include Bethel School or other district sites as needed.  Interpretive duties include working with staff and volunteers to provide: public tours during regular weekend open houses and special events; educational programs for schools and other groups, either on-site or as outreach.

Children’s Summer Day Camps:  The intern will develop lesson plans/activities, present, and co-manage a half-day history camp with another staff member.  The camp meets for 3 hours once a week in June and July. Campers range in ages from 6 to 12.  The intern will assist other staff as needed with day camps for children and teens including Adventure Club (Tuesday) and possibly another camp.      
Collections/Exhibits:  Help staff plan, set up, or remove exhibits; assist in collections processing, care, research, and inventory; and help in the recordkeeping of reproduction period clothing worn by staff and volunteers for tours and programs.     

Research/Marketing/Volunteers/Administrative:  Assist with historical research; may work on publicity and marketing by writing newsletter articles, press releases, and program flyers; and train/supervise volunteers.  The intern will also assist with special events, some housekeeping/maintenance duties, purchasing, and other duties as needed.    

To apply:  Download an application. Send your completed application along with 2 writing samples of at least 3 pages each, a resume, and college transcript(s) to Brent Wielt at the address below. Deadline is Noon (Central Time) on Monday, March 18, 2024.

https://www.maconcountyconservation.org/get-involved/internship-opportunities

https://www.maconcountyconservation.org/wp-content/uploads/Employment-Application-2020-Fillable-1.pdf

To inquire with questions, please contact:
Macon County Conservation District
Attn: Brent Wielt, Historic Sites Manager
3939 Nearing Lane
Decatur, IL 62521
217-423-7708  
bwielt@maconcountyconservation.org