Employment Opportunities
There are no positions vacant at this time.
Volunteer Opportunities
The Newtown History Center of the Stone House Foundation is always looking for interested and friendly volunteers. The following are the job descriptions for the volunteer positions at our museum. Those interested in donating their time to help us achieve our mission are encouraged to read these descriptions and decide which one they are interested in before contacting us to begin the application process.
Title: Docent
Purpose: The purpose of this job is to assist the Newtown History Center in its efforts to be open to the public on a regular basis. In turn a Docent helps the Foundation in fulfilling its mission of providing educational opportunities for the general public to learn about our local history.
Duties and Responsibilities: A Docent at the Newtown History Center will serve as an aid to visitors and patrons of the museum. Their major responsibility is to staff the admissions desk at the Foundation’s main museum property, and to provide essential orientation information to visitors after collecting a small admission fee. Docents also conduct tours of two other museum properties; supply answers to simple historical questions posed by visitors and provide basic security for the objects on display in the museum exhibits. Docents are not required to do any heavy lifting, or extensive walking.
Qualifications: Docents need to be friendly and to enjoy talking about and sharing information on local history with the public. They also need to be able to walk short distances and climb short flights of stairs.
Time and Place: A Docent may choose to work as few as three and as many as twelve or more hours per week. It is up to the individual and what they feel they can offer. They will be working in the Foundation’s museum and its adjoining properties at 5408 Main St. in Stephens City, Virginia. The following shift times are represented in three-hour blocks, or on Sundays, two-hour blocks. The museum is open during these hours and Docents can sign up according to what is convenient for their schedules.
Tuesday 10:00 AM–1:00 PM 1:00 PM–4:00 PM
Wednesday 10:00 AM–1:00 PM 1:00 PM–4:00 PM
Thursday 10:00 AM–1:00 PM 1:00 PM–4:00 PM
Friday 10:00 AM–1:00 PM 1:00 PM–4:00 PM
Saturday 10:00 AM–1:00 PM 1:00 PM–4:00 PM
Sunday 1:00 PM–3:00 PM 3:00 PM–5:00 PM
Training: Byron Smith, the museum’s Executive Director & Curator, will conduct the hour-long training session for Docents. This training will be conducted at the volunteer’s convenience during the normal operating hours for the museum on Tuesdays through Saturdays.
Benefits: Volunteer Docents receive free individual membership with the museum, use of the Stone House Foundation’s staff research library, behind the scenes tours of museum properties and refreshments on stock in the volunteer’s break kitchen at the museum.
Supervisor: Byron Smith, the museum’s Executive Director & Curator, and Rick Kriebel, the museum’s Manager of Collections & Programs will be supervising Docents.
Title: Research Assistant
Purpose: The purpose of this job is to assist the Newtown History Center in its efforts to recover and compile relevant historical information on local structures, landscapes and objects associated with the Foundation’s ongoing research goals.
Duties and Responsibilities: A Research Assistant at the Newtown History Center performs tasks related to the museum’s ongoing historical investigations. These projects include the study of local property deed chains, family history research, as well as the examination of topical subjects associated with antique objects and historic structures. Some of these research tasks can be performed at the museum while others will require work to be done at local archives, libraries and public record repositories.
Qualifications: Candidates for Research Assistant positions need to have some academic training and/or experience in the disciplines associated with historical research. A candidate will also need to have transportation to get to local archives, libraries and public record repositories.
Time and Place: A Research Assistant may choose to work as few as three and as many as fifteen or more hours per week. It is up to the individual and what they feel they can offer. They will be working in the Foundation’s museum at 5408 Main St. as well as local archives, libraries and public record repositories during normal hours of operation.
Training: Byron Smith, the museum’s Director & Curator, will conduct the hour-long training session for Research Assistants. Some follow up training may be necessary and will also be run by Mr. Smith at the museum or the off site repository. This training will be scheduled at the volunteer’s convenience during the normal operating hours for the museum on Tuesdays through Saturdays.
Benefits: Volunteer Research Assistants receive free individual membership with the museum, use of the Stone House Foundation’s staff research library, behind the scenes tours of museum properties and refreshments on stock in the volunteer’s break kitchen at the museum. Research assistants will also qualify for reimbursement on approved travel from the museum to local archives, libraries and public record repositories.
Supervisor: Byron Smith, the museum’s Director & Curator, will be supervising research assistants.
Title: Special Projects Assistant
Purpose: The purpose of this job is to assist the Newtown History Center in its efforts to properly manage both its historical collections and its institutional resources.
Duties and Responsibilities: A Special Projects assistant at the Newtown History Center works with professional staff on a variety of tasks associated with the museum’s operations. These special projects include collections inventory and catalogue work, as well as data entry and clerical tasks. All of this work will be performed at the museum’s properties under the direction of its professional staff.
Qualifications: Candidates need to have an attention to detail, patience, and in some cases, skills for handling very fragile objects.
Time and Place: Special Projects Assistants will be working in the Foundation’s museum at 5408 Main St., and its adjoining properties in Stephens City, Virginia.
Training: Byron Smith, the museum’s Director & Curator, will conduct the hour-long training session for Special Projects Assistants. Some follow up training may be necessary and will also be run by Mr. Smith at the museum or its adjoining properties in Stephens City. This training will be conducted at the volunteer’s convenience during the normal operating hours for the museum on Tuesdays through Saturdays.
Benefits: Volunteer Special Projects Assistants receive free individual membership with the museum, use of the Stone House Foundation’s staff research library, behind the scenes tours of museum properties and refreshments on stock in the volunteer’s break kitchen at the museum.
Supervisor: Byron Smith, the museum’s Director & Curator, will be supervising Special Projects Assistants.