Do You Want to Volunteer at Curtin Village at Eagle Ironworks?
Join the volunteer community at Eagle Iron Works and Curtin Village and help us share over a century of ironmaking in central Pennsylvania. Your participation will make it possible to expand the preservation and interpretation of the only destination in central Pennsylvania where all of the major components of a nineteenth-century charcoal iron plantation are either still in place or have been expertly replicated. The rewards of volunteering at Eagle Iron Works and Curtin Village include learning about local history and sharing it with students, youth groups, and visitors from near and far; finding friends who share common interests; and the great satisfaction of helping others connect with history through exciting programs and events.
Volunteer opportunities are listed below with descriptions. Join us!
Volunteer opportunities are listed below with descriptions. Join us!
Buildings / Grounds / Gardens
Description: Responsibility for maintaining the buildings and grounds is shared with the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Volunteers are tasked with routine maintenance and enhancement duties such as gardening, interior cleaning, and repairing fences. Volunteers may also develop ideas for improving the site’s buildings and facilities, as well as putting them to new uses. Heavy lifting, stooping and pulling, sweeping, twisting, and turning around maybe required.
Programs / Events
Description: Members of this committee develop creative proposals for historical programming and fundraising and/or membership-based events. Program concepts and associated budgets are subject to approval by the Roland Curtin Foundation. Opening the grounds for plein air painting, for instance, would align with this committee’s charge. Subcommittees may be formed for large-scale or complex initiatives.
Fundraising
Description: Volunteers interested in developing strategies for fundraising will use their energy, creativity, and entrepreneurialism to innovate ways of reaching the public to attract funding. Eagle Iron Works and Curtin Village is the only historic site in Pennsylvania where visitors can gain a hands-on understanding of daily life and work on a nineteenth-century iron plantation shaped by developments in technology, transportation, politics, immigration, and social structures. Defining the value of preserving and interpreting that history, and conveying the benefits and services of doing so in a marketable approach, will be key to success.
Membership
Description: Volunteers seeking to expand membership in the Roland Curtin Foundation will be welcoming, capable of developing creative campaigns, and competent in computerized tracking of responses and financial contributions. Rosters of prior members provide a basis for membership expansion.
Collection Committee
Description: This committee is charged with implementing policies concerning the Roland Curtin Foundation collection, reviewing and approving acquisitions and deaccessions, maintaining and securing the collection, and loaning objects to and from the collection.
Tour Guide
Description: An Eagle Iron Works and Curtin Village tour guide leads visitors through the site, visiting the mansion, charging house, blast house, and casting house, while describing how iron was produced, how it was transported to market, and how employees, managers, and their families lived and worked. Information pertaining to architecture, furnishings, tools, and canal and railroad transportation are woven into tours. A tour script is available for guidance. Training is provided.
Educational Tours
Description: School groups occasionally incorporate Eagle Iron Works and Curtin Village into their curricula. Leadership Centre County visits our site annually to gain an understanding of the iron industry’s significant contribution to the County’s development. Educational tour volunteers will contact schools, home school parents, and community groups to expand and coordinate greater use of the site as an instructional venue. Also possible is the development of a “traveling trunk” program that will take the Eagle Iron Works story into classrooms through artifacts and lesson plans.
Scout Involvement and Programming
Description: Centre County has many active Scout troops with members (ages 11 to 17) focusing on leadership development, rank advancement, and community service. Volunteers wishing to involve Scouts in activities at Eagle Iron Works and Curtin Village will develop potential projects with input from buildings/grounds/garden volunteers and approval by the RCF Board. Tasks include contacting troop leaders and serving as the liaison between the Board and Scout troops.
Food Service / Carriage House Kitchen
Description: The Carriage House has been renovated and equipped as a food service facility capable of supporting programmed events. It is inspected and permitted annually by the Department of Agriculture. Food service volunteers plan menus, purchase supplies, prepare and serve food, and keep the kitchen area clean and organized. Hygienic food handling knowledge and practice is required.
Description: Responsibility for maintaining the buildings and grounds is shared with the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Volunteers are tasked with routine maintenance and enhancement duties such as gardening, interior cleaning, and repairing fences. Volunteers may also develop ideas for improving the site’s buildings and facilities, as well as putting them to new uses. Heavy lifting, stooping and pulling, sweeping, twisting, and turning around maybe required.
Programs / Events
Description: Members of this committee develop creative proposals for historical programming and fundraising and/or membership-based events. Program concepts and associated budgets are subject to approval by the Roland Curtin Foundation. Opening the grounds for plein air painting, for instance, would align with this committee’s charge. Subcommittees may be formed for large-scale or complex initiatives.
Fundraising
Description: Volunteers interested in developing strategies for fundraising will use their energy, creativity, and entrepreneurialism to innovate ways of reaching the public to attract funding. Eagle Iron Works and Curtin Village is the only historic site in Pennsylvania where visitors can gain a hands-on understanding of daily life and work on a nineteenth-century iron plantation shaped by developments in technology, transportation, politics, immigration, and social structures. Defining the value of preserving and interpreting that history, and conveying the benefits and services of doing so in a marketable approach, will be key to success.
Membership
Description: Volunteers seeking to expand membership in the Roland Curtin Foundation will be welcoming, capable of developing creative campaigns, and competent in computerized tracking of responses and financial contributions. Rosters of prior members provide a basis for membership expansion.
Collection Committee
Description: This committee is charged with implementing policies concerning the Roland Curtin Foundation collection, reviewing and approving acquisitions and deaccessions, maintaining and securing the collection, and loaning objects to and from the collection.
Tour Guide
Description: An Eagle Iron Works and Curtin Village tour guide leads visitors through the site, visiting the mansion, charging house, blast house, and casting house, while describing how iron was produced, how it was transported to market, and how employees, managers, and their families lived and worked. Information pertaining to architecture, furnishings, tools, and canal and railroad transportation are woven into tours. A tour script is available for guidance. Training is provided.
Educational Tours
Description: School groups occasionally incorporate Eagle Iron Works and Curtin Village into their curricula. Leadership Centre County visits our site annually to gain an understanding of the iron industry’s significant contribution to the County’s development. Educational tour volunteers will contact schools, home school parents, and community groups to expand and coordinate greater use of the site as an instructional venue. Also possible is the development of a “traveling trunk” program that will take the Eagle Iron Works story into classrooms through artifacts and lesson plans.
Scout Involvement and Programming
Description: Centre County has many active Scout troops with members (ages 11 to 17) focusing on leadership development, rank advancement, and community service. Volunteers wishing to involve Scouts in activities at Eagle Iron Works and Curtin Village will develop potential projects with input from buildings/grounds/garden volunteers and approval by the RCF Board. Tasks include contacting troop leaders and serving as the liaison between the Board and Scout troops.
Food Service / Carriage House Kitchen
Description: The Carriage House has been renovated and equipped as a food service facility capable of supporting programmed events. It is inspected and permitted annually by the Department of Agriculture. Food service volunteers plan menus, purchase supplies, prepare and serve food, and keep the kitchen area clean and organized. Hygienic food handling knowledge and practice is required.
Print Form:
| 2021_volunteer_form_3.8.8.2021.pdf |
