Members and Friends of Medford Historical Society
Volunteer Opportunities Available – There's Something For Everyone

For about 100 years the Medford Historical Society has been working to capture, preserve and celebrate the history or one of New England's oldest cities. From Pre-Columbian America, through the Civil War and on to the present day, MHS's collection of artifacts, art work, books and documents is continuously expanded and preserved by volunteers. History is today and we welcome your participation! Volunteering at MHS is a great chance for you to

• learn more about our city's complex evolution
• acquire new skills
• use your creativity
• meet new and interesting people
• help a public organization flourish

Below is a sampling of volunteer opportunities. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you would like to participate or if you have new ideas.

Collection Committee – Barbara Kerr at Cloaking

Become familiar with MHS's object, print and image collections and help develop policies for their acquisition, maintenance and use. We are particularly interested in volunteers with experience in developing collection inventories and policies. People are needed for one-time special projects related to the management and circulation of our vast Civil War photo collection, and for ongoing activities such as volunteering at Saturday open houses and monitoring eBay and other resources for items suitable for acquisition.

Time: The committee meets four evenings a year for two to three hours. Any other time commitment would depend on the nature of a special project.

House Committee – Fred Schlicher at Cloaking

1) Additional Committee Members - Help us assess the maintenance needs of MHS headquarters and the historic Peter Tufts House, and develop long-range maintenance and energy-efficiency plans. Participation is open to everyone, particularly those who have construction, electrical or facilities management background. Our primary goals are to oversee energy audits, make interior repairs and work with the MHS Landscape Subcommittee to improve and maintain the grounds of our headquarters.

Time: The committee meets four evenings a year for two to three hours. Any other time commitment would depend on the nature of a project.

2) Light Housekeeping Brigade – The exhibition area of MHS headquarters needs regular, light cleaning. We are looking for a volunteer or volunteers to come in once a month to vacuum, dust and tidy up a bit. On occasion we also need help setting up and taking down exhibitions at the headquarters.

Time: Once a month for one to two hours.

3) Saturday Staff – We are planning to expand the open hours of MHS headquarters to include the first Saturday of each month, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. To do this we are seeking several people who would like to meet visitors, introduce them to MHS's catalogue system and help them research questions. Volunteers would be introduced to the entire MHS collection and trained to use our research and filing systems.

Time: After training, four hours on the first Saturday of the month.

4) Snow Shovel Staff – When the snow flies we need a healthy soul to come by MHS headquarters with a shovel and broom to clear and sweep its front entryway and adjacent sidewalk.

Time: An average of four times a snow season. If a snow accumulation is less than a foot, the effort should take around 30 minutes. The volunteer must be in good general health and fit for the task, and have access to a snow shovel and broom.

Event Committee – Barbara Kerr at Cloaking

Join our committee to help plan programs, lectures, member events and educational activities. The sky's the limit when it comes to innovation, diversity and good cheer. As a committee member you would help formulate a calendar of events, establish a "road show" of displays, help out with event tables and arrange for refreshments at MHS programs.

Time: The committee meets four evenings a year for two to three hours. Other time commitments would depend on the nature of a special event.

Fundraising Committee – John Anderson at Cloaking

Join this committee to help plan fundraising events and develop outreach campaigns so MHS can pursue projects and keep its operations going. Participation is open to everyone, particularly those who have marketing and fundraising experience. The committee's primary focus is on formulating fundraising strategies and events, identifying external grant opportunities and working with MHS's Historic House Marker Committee (see below).

Time: The Committee meets five evenings a year for two to three hours. Other time commitments would depend on the nature of a campaign or special event.

Historic House Marker Committee – Susan Gerould at Cloaking

Working with the fundraising committee, members will generate and manage publicity materials to inform Medford homeowners about the program and encourage their participation. We are particularly interested in volunteers who have marketing experience and/or writing skills to promote this growing program. Volunteers will receive layout and design support as needed.

Time: Estimated 40 to 60 hours a year.

Historical and Genealogical Research Projects – Barbara Kerr at Cloaking

1) Develop "Medford Historical Overview" Display Poster - Create a poster or set of flip charts to orient visitors to MHS headquarters with the collection and the basics of Medford history. This project is a creative opportunity that could be expanded or modified to fit your vision. It will involve several volunteers with basic visual-communication skills such as research, writing, layout and production.

Time: Estimated 30 to 50 hours over several months.

2) Transcribe Historic Medford Taxpayer Lists - The Boston Public Library owns microfilmed copies of Medford town and treasurer records from the 1600's, 1700's and early 1800's. They contain handwritten taxpayer lists, which are among the most important of primary materials to historical research. MHS seeks volunteers to transcribe some (or all) of these lists so the public will eventually be able to search them electronically. When done, this project will be of huge value to all Medford historians and genealogists.

Requirements: Familiarity (or interest in learning about) Colonial handwriting styles, access to a laptop computer, time to attend meetings with the MHS Collection Committee to develop an index system and/or time to make several trips to BPL to perform transcription. We want to find a number of volunteers for this project.

3) Research and Write Biographical Sketches on Medford Families Buried in Salem Street Burial Ground - There exists a great deal of internet-based information on Medford's early residents who are buried in the Salem Street Burial Ground. We would like to compile this information to create biographies that would expand the public's knowledge of their ancestors and of those who contributed to the development of our city.

Requirements: Familiarity with internet and genealogical basics, access to a personal computer, and time to conduct research and compile biographies. This project will include several volunteers.

4) Index Images Contained in the Medford Historical Register – For decades MHS published the Medford Historical Register, a compendium of research into the history of our city since it founding. An index of all of the images contained in the Medford Historical Register would be of great value to researchers and historians. Work to generate the index can be performed at the Medford Public Library, at MHS headquarters and/or at home.

Requirements: Access to a personal computer. An estimated 20 hours of work is involved.