Attention all history buffs. Geneva College and the Beaver Area Heritage Museum are collaborating to offer a valuable new internship for history majors. Through this partnership, students are provided intensive career preparation through practical and concrete experiences at the award-winning museum while earning credit hours at Geneva for their work.
“An internship experience at the museum offers important opportunities in researching, writing and interacting with living history,” says Dr. Jeff Cole, professor of history and humanities. “Students will learn about archival processes and how a museum operates. We are enthusiastic about this opportunity for students to gain real-world experience that will benefit them as they pursue graduate school and career opportunities.”
Interns at the Beaver Area Heritage Museum work with important local artifacts and documents, as well as assist with the accessioning and cataloguing process for some of the museum′s largest and most exciting collections. The museum houses a permanent collection of over 5,000 rare artifacts that have been made or used by the people of the Beaver area (Beaver, Bridgewater, Brighton Township and Vanport). Students work in the archives and catalogue approved accessions in an electronic database. In addition, they develop communication skills by serving as museum greeters on the weekends. Interns receive one credit hour for 45 hours of volunteer work at the museum.
The Beaver Area Heritage Museum is housed in a freight station located in Beaver, Pennsylvania that was formerly owned by the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad. The 90-year-old building was renovated and reopened as a historical museum in 1998 through public funding and a grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Historic locations associated with the museum include a reconstructed 200-year-old log house, which received a Certificate of Achievement Award from the Pennsylvania Federation of Museums, and the Fort McIntosh site, which was in service during the American Revolution and became the home of the First American Regiment.
Since opening, the museum has served as the site of a campaign visit by President George W. Bush and a tour by the Lewis & Clark Corps of Discovery. In 1999, after only one year of operation, the Beaver Area Heritage Museum was awarded “Best Local History Museum” by the American Association of State and Local History.
O'Data says, “The staff members at the museum are very knowledgeable and dedicated. And they′re very excited to have us and to share their knowledge and experience.” Following graduation, he will be pursuing a master′s degree in public history at Duquesne University, where he was awarded an assistantship—an achievement to which he greatly credits his history internship. “The Beaver Area Heritage Museum really broadens your skill base and provides a high quality, professional experience.”