Is historic preservation your career or just a beloved hobby? In either case there are a multitude of opportunities to learn from professionals. It is an exciting and interesting pursuit with never-ending possibilities.
Training and Learning
The National Park Service staff often sponsors and participates in national preservation conferences as moderators and speakers in workshops, webinars, education sessions, and other training opportunities. Training is also provided at the National Preservation Conference.
The Cultural Resources Office of Interpretation and Education provides annual historic preservation, relevance, interpretation, and diversity through paid youth internships located across the country. It also offers experience with federal agencies. Interns work with surveys for National Register documentation, historical research, archeological investigations, archives, records, and more.
CROIE has lesson plans for educators of all levels at historic sites or in classrooms as well as for students of all ages and history enthusiasts to learn about historic preservation, history, national parks, American culture and heritage, methods of historical investigation, important places, and sites on the National Register of Historic Places.
Gain Experience
A number of National Park Service programs and parks offer opportunities for interns and volunteers. For college students and graduates the NPS Pathways Program provides job opportunities and internships. Other excellent programs include a Cultural Resources Diversity Internship, a Historic Preservation Internship Training Program, and Student Summer Employment with various agencies.
Volunteer at a National Park
Detailed job announcements and applications for jobs with the National Park Service are at USAJOBS which is the official source of the federal government for employment opportunity information and federal job listings.
Study on Your Own
Following are some outstanding suggestions:
The Technical Preservation Services’ Preservation Brief series provides guidance on rehabilitating, preserving, and restoring historic buildings.
Studies on battlefields of the Civil War, War of 1812, and Revolutionary War are available along with guidance related to landscapes, archeology, and preservation.
To walk the streets of a restored town visit Colonial Williamsburg Virginia. This is the oldest outdoor living history museum in the nation. CW has internship programs, class offerings on site, and TV and internet educational programs.
For recent information about emerging research, science, and technology, explore the many materials available from the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training.
The Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation provides technical preservation guides reports, maintenance plans, inventories, and more on cultural landscapes. Publications include three reports in the series “Reflections on the American Landscape” that offer perspectives from Americans with Hispanic, African, or Asian ancestry and their diverse communities.