Do you have an interest in preserving U.S. history and sharing it with the public? Do you want to put your knowledge of history and your research skills to good use this summer?

The Richards Civil War Era Center at Penn State invites applications from qualified Penn State undergraduate students for two paid positions at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, and three paid positions at the National Park Service’s Gettysburg National Military Park during the summer of 2025. The internships provide students with hands-on public history and archeology work experience. These noncredit internships come with a $3,500 stipend and free housing at the parks. As a Richards Center intern, you would play a crucial role in the National Park Service’s mission while getting hands-on public history experience.

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park is looking for:

Interpretation intern

Are you interested in presenting engaging history content to the public? This in-person internship is an opportunity to work in Public History with National Park Service rangers in the Harpers Ferry’s Interpretation, Education, and Partnerships team. This intern will develop public presentations and walking tours on a variety of topics, including but not limited to, the United States Armory and industry at Harpers Ferry, American slavery, John Brown’s raid, the Civil War, Storer College (one of the nation’s first HBCUs), and the genesis of the Civil Rights movement including the Niagara Movement and the National League of Colored Women. They will have additional opportunities to learn and present third-person Living History programs such as historic weapons demonstrations. The staff will provide each intern time to research and develop their programs.

This intern will work in the park’s Visitor Contact Station, greeting and orienting visitors to the park. They may also staff exhibits in the Historic Harpers Ferry Lower Town such as the John Brown Museum. Interns will be expected to hike the park’s trails to familiarize themselves with the routes and difficulties, and to rove high-trafficked outdoor areas of the park such as the Lower Town sidewalks to assist visitors. They will also experience digital interpretation as a part of the Park’s social media team for the summer. The start date for this position is Tuesday, May 27, 2025.

Housing will be provided in the Historic Harpers Ferry Lower Town, with internet access. Interns will work a full-time, forty-hour per week schedule. Summer temperatures in Harpers Ferry often exceed ninety degrees with high humidity. Park hiking trails range from short, easy walks, to strenuous hikes of six to eight miles. Interns may be asked to lift objects up to thirty pounds, such as plastic tables or boxes of park brochures.

Gettysburg National Military Park is looking for interns in:

Interpretive operations

Are you interested in education, public facing history, and storytelling? As the interpretation and education intern, you will do research, design historical presentations for the public, and put on programs for park visitors (particularly families) that interpret the history of the town, the battle, and their broader historical significance, highlighting the experiences of civilians and soldiers alike. The intern will also ensure that visitors to Gettysburg make the most of their time at the park by working in Visitor Services and with Hands-On History Carts. Ideal applicants are those enthusiastic and engaging in public-facing roles and interested in working with families and children. The start date for this position is Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Interns will begin their summer with two weeks of training.

Museum services

Are you interested in experience in museum and archival studies? As the museum services intern, you will learn the fundamental skills of archival and museum management. Interns learn about and assist with the various aspects of collections management, preservation, and exhibition in a varied collection that include diaries and letter collections from soldiers and civilians, material objects of the Civil War (such as flags, uniforms, weapons, paintings, and prints), and official records associated with development and care of the national military park. Duties will introduce the student to a variety of museum and archives-related functions, including cataloging, inventory, collections documentation, research, and preservation, artifact installation, and exhibition development and maintenance. The start date for this position is Tuesday, May 27, 2025.

Cultural resource history

Are you interested in conducting historical research about Gettysburg? As the cultural resource history intern, you will work with the numerous historic properties of Gettysburg National Military Park. The intern will conduct historical research and help organize and analyze data on historic properties, including Gettysburg National Cemetery. The research will involve utilization of primary and secondary sources in Park collections and local archives as well as some fieldwork. The selected intern will have the opportunity to participate in applied history projects and discussions with other park staff. There may be an opportunity to participate in archaeological fieldwork and GIS mapping, as well. The start date for this position is Tuesday, May 27, 2025.

Housing will be provided at the park, with internet access. All Gettysburg interns begin their summer with two weeks of training.

If you would like the opportunity to support the mission of the National Park Service and gain valuable skills in historical interpretation, communication, research, preservation, and public education, we encourage you to apply by following the directions below.

Application process

Applicants must have at least a 3.0 grade-point average at Penn State University Park and have not graduated by the time of the internship. Applicants must: 1) submit a one-page statement of interest detailing why they would like to work at Gettysburg National Military Park and/or Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and how they think the experience will further their education. In this statement, applicants should also specify which internship(s) they are most interested in. 2) Applicants must also provide a résumé, one letter of recommendation from a faculty member (email is acceptable), and an unofficial transcript (it is not necessary to provide a certified official Penn State transcript). Statements of interest and transcripts must be received by Monday, January 13, 2025. Letters of recommendation can follow.

Direct all application materials to Sasha Coles, Richards Center Assistant Director for Undergraduate Internships, at sfc5843@psu.edu.

Funding is made possible through the generous support of Larry and Lynne Brown, Matthew Isham, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.