The essential historical skills of researching, evaluating and interpreting evidence, and writing are applicable to many job environments. JMU history majors have pursued careers in fields including archiving, education, historic site administration, industry, local, state, and federal government, cultural resource management, museum work, historic preservation, contract history, and private business. With additional training, many history graduates pursue careers in law, academia, or the health and technology professions. For more job information, go to Job Links for History Students.

    The Internship in History (HIST 340/640) gives students practical experience in using historical skills in a wide variety of settings ranging from museums to archives and historical research firms. For current internship opportunities, see History Internships for Summer 2008. For information on internship policies, see Internship Procedures for the Department of History and the Student Learning Contract.  For information on internships at the graduate level, see guidelines for HIST 640: Graduate Internship in History.  Also scroll down to see list of recent internships below.

Students in the American Material Culture class visiting Belle Grove Plantation, a property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and site of several JMU student internships.

• During the summer of 2007, undergraduate history major Lauren Clark held an internship at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.  Lauren worked with the Educational Programs staff in the new Learning Center, where visitors can participate in hands-on activities and further explore the documents available in the Archives.  In addition to guiding visitors through the Learning Center, Lauren completed research for a new children’s activity, and drafted ideas for an interactive timeline of twentieth-century America using photographs from the holdings of the National Archives.

• In the fall of 2006, history M.A. student Laura Wahl (left) completed a graduate-level internship at the Warren Heritage Society in Front Royal, Virginia, where she assisted in creating an exhibit entitled "Early Warren."  The exhibit interprets the history of Warren County from the age of exploration to the county's incorporation in 1836.  Laura had responsibility for researching and writing the text for four of the ten exhibit cases.  She also suggested artifacts to be included in the exhibit.

• Amy Cerminara, undergraduate history major, worked at two locations for her Fall 2006 internship.  At Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance she helped to research and coordinate a historic downtown walking tour.  At the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Historical Society she worked on the museum's temporary World War II exhibit, learned about accessioning artifacts, helped develop a presentation on "Gone Houses" in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, and visited and helped record an early Valley house for the Society's records.

• Several JMU undergraduate history students interested in archives have interned recently in the Special Collections department of JMU's Carrier Library.

• Margaux Zanelli learned and implemented the principles of archival arrangement, description and conservation as she processed a collection of National Register nominations completed by Professor Darryl Nash's Historic Preservation classes over the past several years.

• Katherine Carr and Erica Morrison worked on the long-term project of cleaning, sorting, organizing, and developing a finding aid for a large collection of unprocessed late nineteenth-century business documents associated with the Houck Tannery in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

• L. Sean Crowley researched and compiled an annotated historical timeline and bibliography of JMU's history from 1908-1959.  Lisa Riley conducted oral history interviews with alumni for the JMU Centennial commemoration.

• Rachel Reed, undergraduate history major (right), interned in the Spring of 2007 at the archives of the George C. Marshall Foundation Library at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia.  In addition to fulfilling numerous small research requests, Rachel processed and scanned photographs from the collection and created an online exhibit of never-before-published photographs taken by General George Patton toward the end of World War II.  The collection included Patton's own photographs of liberated Nazi concentration camps.

• For an internship at the Marshall Foundation Library in 2006, Heather Campbell, graduate history student, undertook the research, design, and installation of an exhibit exploring George Marshall's diplomatic efforts in China at the end of World War II.

• Amanda Bowman, undergraduate history major, earned a competitive internship for the Summer of 2006 at George Washington's Mount Vernon, where she worked as a costumed interpreter at the Pioneer Farm site and the Hands-On History tent and learned to use eighteenth-century tools and techniques in the treading barn and fields.  Amanda also researched and wrote a report on the slave garden that formed part of Washington's original plantation.

• In the summer of 2005, Samantha Dorsey, undergraduate History major (L), also earned a competitive internship at Mount Vernon, where she worked as a costumed interpreter.

• Several undergraduate history students have completed internships at the Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia in Staunton, Virginia:

• Lorraine White researched and wrote a script for an exhibit on frontier Virginia in the French and Indian War, 1754-1763 .

• Matthew Small conducted extensive research for the Museum about the impact of the economic panic of 1819 on the Shenandoah Valley’s agricultural economy.

• Also at the Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia, Amanda Page drew on and extended her research and writing skills to produce the report, "An Architectural Description of the Bowman Homestead and its Restoration at the Frontier Culture Museum, Staunton, Virginia."  Her report will help the museum in its ongoing project of restoring and interpreting this important late eighteenth-century Germanic dwelling from Rockingham County, Virginia (shown during the process of reconstruction at right).

• Spencer Narron worked with the museum's curator of historic buildings on the restoration of the Bowman House.

• Julie Herczeg, undergraduate history major (second from left), interned in the Summer of 2005 at Old Fort Jackson in Savannah, Georgia.  She worked as a costumed interpreter and a special events coordinator for a "Georgia Homefront Weekend," which included demonstrations of Civil War homefront life and a Georgia women's militia organization, the Nancy Harts, shown here.

• At the Army Historical Foundation in Arlington, Virginia, Michael Yarborough utilized his history research and writing skills to answer inquiries on a wide range of U.S. Army history subjects.  He used source materials from the Foundation as well as the National Archives in Suitland, Maryland.  He also researched historic photos and wrote an article for the Foundation’s journal On Point: The Journal of Army History.

• At the Virginia Quilt Museum in Harrisonburg, Virginia, Paula Smith researched and wrote an object analysis report on a mid-nineteenth-century quilt from the museum’s collection, acted as a docent for museum visitors, and helped with installing and maintaining exhibits.

• At Lot's Wife Publishing in Staunton, Virginia, Sharon Tewksbury-Bloom used her research, writing and photography skills to assist in compiling, editing and illustrating a tour book of roadside historic markers in Augusta County, Staunton and Waynesboro, Virginia.

• Also at Lot's Wife Publishing, Kimberly McCray utilized the techniques she learned in her public history courses, the records of the Staunton/Augusta County Courthouse, and the resources of the Augusta County Historical Society to interpret the objects and documents contained in a trunk owned by an early 20^th century African-American woman from Augusta County.

• At the Smithsonian Institution Women’s Council in Washington, DC, Kristen Lowe completed an internship in conjunction with the Political Science Department’s Washington International Semester Program.  She researched and developed information and outreach materials on women’s history globally, women in film, and on relevant DC-area events in observance of Women’s History Month.  She wrote for, and helped lay out and produce, the Council’s quarterly newsletter.  She organized brown bag lunch lecture events for Smithsonian employees and helped organize and document the national Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day at the Smithsonian.  She also helped research and produce historic timelines of Latin American culture, economics and politics for the International Relations unit of the Community Constituent Services department of the Smithsonian.

• At the Valentine Museum in Richmond , Elaine Hagey interned with the Valentine’s Development and Public Relations department where she learned about this department's essential role in the success of the institution.  She learned to use the Raiser’s Edge software program to track museum donors and helped maintain positive relationships between the Museum and the Richmond community.  She also helped coordinate the "Richmond History Makers" event which aimed at reaching out to the community to find the "unsung heroes" of the city’s history and bring new constituents into the museum.

• Lisa Riley (undergraduate student, History) worked as a public program and education intern.  Lisa helped to write a teacher resource manual for public school students.  She also developed activities and taught children's programs for the museum.

At the Valentine Museum, student interns Lisa Riley (R) and Anna Maternick (L) worked to set up an exhibit of Indian artifacts in preparation for a teacher recertification program.

• Uyen Ta, undergraduate History major and Asian studies minor, interned with the United States Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute in Arlington, Virginia, where she employed her history skills to research and write two papers—one on China’s relations with Southeast Asian nations generally, and the other on China’s relations with Vietnam specifically since 1975.  Uyen’s papers will serve as background readings for Area Studies courses taught at the Foreign Service Institute.  Uyen also prepared a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation on Vietnam for ongoing use in the training courses for American diplomats and other professionals.

• Jeff Brundage, undergraduate History major, interned with the Museum Management section of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, where he was able to combine his history skills with his interest in learning to manage a large organization.

• Morgan Pierce, undergraduate History major, interned at the Glen Burnie House of the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley where he gained hands-on experience in collections management, handling and cataloging museum artifacts, and stabilizing historic objects.

• Jennifer Miller, an undergraduate SMAD major with an interest in history, interned with the South Atlantic Humanities Center at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities in Charlottesville, Virginia.  Jennifer combined her history and computer skills to contribute design and content to the Center’s website.

• At the Historic Lexington Foundation, Sarah Wilson (graduate student, history) surveyed a historic district of about 180 buildings, which called for writing descriptions of architectural exteriors, taking photographs, and researching original ownership and building information.

• Andrew Robarge, undergraduate History and ISS double major, interned at the CIA Museum which is housed within the headquarters of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency in Washington, DC, and is thus not open to the public.

• For an "Oral History of School Desegregation in Western Virginia" internship supported by Washington and Lee University and the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, Sarah Wilson (graduate student, history), scheduled and conducted oral history interviews with people who experienced school desegregation (either as students, teachers, parents, or administrators) in four western Virginia counties. She also researched and transcribed school board minutes and superintendent records.

• At Belle Grove Plantation, Peggy Dillard (graduate student, History) produced a guide for the Furnishings and Collection Committee to help refurnish the interior of the mansion to match as closely as possible the Hite family's early 19th-century period of occupancy.

As part of a summer internship at Belle Grove Plantation, graduate student Peggy Dillard researched 18^th and 19^th-century probate inventories and other documents and compared them with existing furnishings to help the museum determine how the rooms
were originally furnished.

• In the summer of 2005, Erin Jones, undergraduate History major, interned with the Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia where she helped create a furnishing plan for the museum’s upcoming Early Settlement Exhibit.  She also helped to develop an exhibit on the French and Indian War.

• At Historic Staunton Foundation in Staunton, Virginia, Phoebe Harding (undergraduate student, History) researched and created a walking tour brochure of historic buildings for Staunton's historic district.

• Dalesha Criner (undergraduate student, History) and Sarah Holland (graduate student, History) assisted in the Tax Credit Project and the Façade Improvement Project. Both students made use of research skills as well as architectural documentation and preservation skills to help Staunton residents meet the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation. They also helped edit The Queen City Quarterly, a newsletter sent to foundation members.

• Elizabeth Warner (graduate student, History) described and documented local historic buildings in order to help eligible property owners gain tax credit incentives for rehabilitation.

Ellen Donnelly in 2004 with oral history interviews done on the Mall during the WWII Memorial dedication ceremony

• At the Library of Congress American Folklife Center, Ellen Donnelly (undergraduate student, History) worked on the Veteran’s History Project which is collecting, archiving, and preserving the stories and experiences of American veterans from WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf Wars.

• Georgia Hancock, undergraduate History major, gained a post-graduation internship with Morgan, Angel and Associates, LLC, in Washington, DC, where she could apply her interest in Native American History, environmental issues, and law prior to applying to law school.

• Elizabeth Roach, undergraduate History major, interned with the Surry County, Virginia, Historical Society and Museums, Inc.  To read Beth’s description of her experience, go to the Society’s Newsletter and scroll down near the bottom for “A Summer’s Work” by Beth Roach.

• In Carrier Library's Special Collections department, Andrea Hillebrenner (undergraduate student, History) began processing the records of the Houck Tannery of Harrisonburg.  The collection documents the daily purchases and sales of the tannery, which was one of the largest tanneries in the Shenandoah Valley.  Founded in 1871 as the Harrisonburg Steam Tannery, its name was changed to the Houck Tannery when it was purchased in 1878 by J.P. Houck.  The records include an account ledger, receipts, payment notes, bark tonnage calculations, check stubs, and railroad freight forms.

In 2004, Andrea Hillebrenner processed the daily records of the Houck Tannery of Harrisonburg as part of a summer internship.

• At the Fredericksburg-Spotsylvania National Military Park, Shaun Mooney (graduate student, History) helped document and analyze the late nineteenth-century Richardson House at Willis Hill (below). Shaun's architectural analysis formed part of a report to the National Park Service on the historical significance and recommended future use of the structure.

• At James Madison University, Marci Tingle (undergraduate student, History), Kim Miles (undergraduate student, History), Abbie Salyers (undergraduate student, History) and Pete Swerdzewski (undergraduate student, History) began a large project to nominate the JMU Historic Campus to the National Register of Historic Places. They produced building descriptions, assembled photographs, conducted architectural research, and began some of the paperwork required to process the nomination.

• Melissa Cole (undergraduate student, History) transcribed post-Civil War era requests of Shenandoah Valley residents for compensation due to war losses resulting from their loyalty to the Union for the Southern Claims Commission. She also conducted research at the National Archives on these claims, the families involved, and any compensation that was awarded.

• At Red Hill, the Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation, Tim Hack (graduate student, History) transcribed some of Patrick Henry's account and ledger books documenting his plantation and business activities.

• At the New Market Battlefield Military Museum, Jeffrey Hampson (graduate student, History) developed an interactive educational program on the Civil War for elementary and middle school students.

• At Handley Regional Library, Archives Room, Courtney O'Donnell (undergraduate student, History) developed manuscript collection inventories, helped in the accession of new collections, and provided research assistance to patrons in person, electronically, and by mail.

• At the Marine Corps Historical Center, Matthew Fitzgerald (undergraduate student, History) served as a research assistant in the Reference Section, where he conducted primary source research on particular Marine Corps units and assisted researchers at the Center.

• At Montpelier (James Madison's home in Orange, Virginia) Stacey Schneider (graduate student, History) developed a series of interpretive plans for the Gilmore Cabin, the home of an emancipated African-American who had been a slave belonging to James Madison.

• Colin Barber and Aaron Coe (undergraduate students, History) worked with the collections curator to locate pieces (mostly furniture) that the Madison family had used at Montpelier.

• John Peter Robinson (undergraduate student, History) researched the social life of James and Dolley Madison.

• Dave Sessa (undergraduate student, History) began research on slavery and the slave culture at Montpelier.

• At Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest (Thomas Jefferson's "other" home) in Forest, Virginia, Carson Overstreet (undergraduate student, History) developed educational outreach programs and participated in an historic restoration project.

• At Making History, a historical consulting firm in Omaha, Nebraska, Elizabeth Warner (graduate student, History) created exhibits from start to finish--from preliminary budget proposals, research, and design to construction and final installation.

• At the Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia, Jamie Ferguson (graduate student, History) undertook the documentary research needed to produce a furnishing plan for the Museum's 1850s Farm House.

• At the Woodrow Wilson Birthplace Museum in Staunton, Virginia, Kara Ryan (undergraduate student, History) helped develop a high school outreach program, researched specific areas for weekend focus tours, and worked with the curator in the collections department to prepare an exhibit on leisure activities in the Victorian era.

• As part of an oral history internship through Carrier Library's Special Collections, Wondwossen Getachew (undergraduate student, History) interviewed members of Harrisonburg's African-American community to document the legacy of nationally renowned educator Lucy Simms. Past oral history internships at Carrier Library's Special Collections have ranged from an examination of Merck Pharmaceuticals' history and operation to an assessment of the impact of the Mall on traditional activities in Harrisonburg's Court Square.

• At Lot's Wife Publishing in Staunton, Virginia, Greg Kellerman (graduate student, history) researched the history of the Second Presbyterian Church in Staunton, Virginia, from its inception in 1875 to 1945. Much of his research involved reading Staunton newspapers as well as publications of the Lexington Presbytery.

• Susan Dawson (graduate student, History) transcribed a set of minute books kept by two Shenandoah Valley Ladies' Aid Societies during the Civil War, researched the societies and their work, and will be publishing her findings in a handbook detailing their activities during the period.

• Jessica Charles (graduate student, History) transcribed an 1850s cookbook, tested a variety of the recipes, and is also publishing her findings in an updated version of the cookbook.

• At the Virginia Quilt Museum in Harrisonburg, Virginia, Kimber Van Sant (undergraduate student, History) compiled a children's library on quilts and quilting and installed an exhibit featuring the entire permanent collection of the museum.

• Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

• Center for Strategic and International Studies

• CNN News

• Colonial Williamsburg

• George Washington National Forest

• Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation

• National Gallery of Art

• National Portrait Gallery

• U.S. Capitol Historical Society

• U.S. Department of State

• U.S. Department of Energy

• U.S. Department of Labor

• Virginia Department of Historic Resources

• Americans for Tax Reform in Washington DC offers a number of internships for applicants with strong interests in tax reform and economic policy.

• Belle Grove Plantation (shown at right) located outside Winchester, Virginia, occasionally offers internship opportunities for interested students.

• U.S. Capitol Historical Society is continuing its work to produce biographical vignettes of each member of Congress and put this information into a website.

• The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History offers a number of internship opportunities.

• Historic Staunton Foundation works with commercial property owners in developing color schemes and providing design guidance and rehabilitation information for historic buildings. This is a wonderful internship opportunity for a history, preservation, or art student. In addition, Historic Staunton Foundation provides tax credit documentation. Such work involves describing architecture and rehabilitation procedures, applying the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the treatment of historic properties, working with computer forms, and photography. Historic Staunton Foundation also does research in the vernacular housing traditions of the Valley Germans and Scots-Irish.

• The Manassas Museum System in Manassas, Virginia provides an opportunity to gain valuable museum experience and make a significant contribution to the museum. Interns can work in a variety of fields: museum education to learn about the museum's areas of public relations and outreach and to help in the development of new program materials; collections management to work on accessions and collections issues and to help with collection storage and data update from previous archaeological digs; and historical research to conduct research on collection objects and to prepare interpretation for upcoming exhibitions. Interns may select from a variety of museums, including The Manassas Museum, The Manassas Industrial School, The Manassas Railroad Depot, and The Mayfield Civil War Fortification.

• At the Fairfax County Park Authority in Virginia, interns will work alongside professionals performing a variety of collections management duties, such as researching, cataloging and accessioning historic artifacts, conducting inventory and environmental monitoring, and assisting in exhibit development.

• Governing: The Magazine of States and Localities in Washington, DC. Governing is a Congressional Quarterly publication with 86,000 subscribers devoted to nationwide coverage of issues, trends and people in state and local government. Interns will work as editorial assistants and will report and write 300- to 1,600-word articles, assist in fact-checking and research projects, compile charts and graphs, and proofread and review press releases and online newspapers for potential story ideas.

• The National Park Service in Washington, DC offers internships through its Internships in the Social Science Program.  These are for graduate students interested in overseeing projects related to social science research (such as social aspects of the ecosystem management, gateway community issues, trends in tourism and recreation).  Interns may also conduct social science needs assessments for national parks and National Park Service programs.