Volunteering at the Site
Volunteers are needed at Saint-Gaudens NHS in a variety of areas; giving tours of the grounds and the historic home, assisting with the summer concert series, working in the formal gardens, or helping with other ongoing projects like working in the library and updating the park web site. For more information, please contact Park Volunteer Coordinator, Judi Tatem, Saint-Gaudens NHS, 139 Saint-Gaudens Road, Cornish, NH 03745, (603) 675-2175 x 100, or via e-mail at Judi_Tatem@nps.gov.
How long do volunteers work?
This depends on the project, the requirements and your schedule. It is very helpful to have volunteers who can commit to a regular time schedule. There are also short-term opportunities, such as assisting the staff on concert Sundays during July and August, or working on specific smaller projects.
What qualifications do volunteers need?
Requirements vary, depending on the job. Please let us know your volunteer work interests. Some positions, like giving tours may require extra training and study, as well as a scheduled time commitment. The Park will provide appropriate training whenever necessary.
Volunteer Opportunities
1. Provide Tours of the Artwork and Historic Landscape
• Duties:
Give interpretive tours of the exhibition galleries and site’s artistic landscape. A grounds/art tour takes about 50 minutes and covers the Atrium, the New Gallery, the Farragut Monument, The Shaw Memorial, the Adams Memorial, the Pan Garden and the Little Studio. A grounds tour is usually done each afternoon, as well as when school and bus tours visit the site.
• Training:
Docent should read the biography on Augustus Saint-Gaudens, the Cornish section of the book, Circle of Friends, the booklet, The 1907 United States Gold Coinage and the book The Shaw Memorial: A Celebration of an American Masterpiece. They will also watch the films, An American Original and Wax Blood/Bronze Skin.. Further supplemental reading can include: The Cultural Landscape Report, essays in the two recent exhibition catalogs and the films, The Medal Maker, and Masque of the Golden Bowl.
• Time commitment:
Docent should be able to commit to a particular day and time each week to enable the Park to schedule personnel. This can be as little as several hours in the morning or afternoon, to as much time as the docent would like to donate.
2. Staff Museum Shop
• Duties:
Staff sales desk in Eastern National Bookstore, make sales and provide information to visitors.
• Training:
Docent will be trained on use of the cash register and card swipe credit card machine, as well as Eastern National sales procedures.
• Time Commitment:
Docent should be willing to commit to working at a particular day and time each week to enable the staff to schedule personnel. Assistance is needed every morning from 9:00 A.M.-12:00 P.M. as well as two afternoons from 12:00 – 4:30 P.M. each week. Docent would not have to commit to the entire morning or afternoon.
3. Assist on Concert Sundays
• Duties:
Eight or nine concerts are held in the Little Studio from 2-4:00 P.M, during most Sundays in July and August. Assistance is always needed in a number of areas, including assisting with directing cars in the parking area, providing information to visitors at the entrance table and staffing the historic home, “Aspet.” when open for walk-through visitors that afternoon.
• Training:
No advance training needed.
• Time Commitment:
Preferably, the docent would be able to volunteer during the busiest period of the afternoon, which is from 1:00-3:30 P.M.
4. Gardening
• Duties:
Assist gardener with care of flower beds, container plantings, water features
• Training:
Training provided by gardener.
• Time Commitment:
Docent should be willing to commit to working at a particular day and time each week to enable the staff to schedule personnel.
5. Landscape Maintenance
• Duties:
The park maintains an important cultural landscape with formal gardens, lawns and over a half mile of hedges. Assistance is needed with all aspects of grounds work, including cleaning debris from trails and assisting with hedge and lawn maintenance.
• Training:
Training provided by Park staff.
• Time Commitment:
Docent should be willing to commit to working at a particular day and time each week to enable the staff to schedule personnel.
6. Other
Foreign Language Translators
Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site is currently seeking volunteers to translate interpretive materials into foreign languages, so that our international visitors can better enjoy the Site. Please visit our home page for currently available translations. For further information please contact the site.
SCA Opportunities
Student Conservation Association Research Assistant Opportunities at Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site
For further information please click here.
