A Summer Internship for Undergraduate Students
With a focus on living history at both the Farm and the Gristmill & Distillery, this internship provides an opportunity for undergraduate students to become immersed in 18th-century history, agriculture, industry, and the history of enslavement at Mount Vernon, all while gaining experience as front-line staff in the museum field.
Interns will work at both the Farm and the Gristmill and Distillery.
The Farm is a working, 4-acre demonstration site that interprets Washington’s innovation and promotion of sustainable agriculture and highlights the lives of the enslaved people who carried out his agricultural vision.
The Gristmill and Distillery site (located 3 miles from the main estate) emphasizes the industrial aspects of Mount Vernon by demonstrating the grinding of corn and wheat and the production of rye whiskey.
The George Washington: Entrepreneur internship is offered through the generous support of foundations honoring Ezra Taft Benson and Russell G. Mawby, and by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Requirements
This program is open to undergraduate students who have completed at least one year of college, but have not yet graduated.
Applicants should be comfortable with public speaking and available during the entire 10-week internship period. Candidates with a background or a keen interest in history are preferred.
This position requires the ability to:
- Work outdoors in hot and humid weather
- Dress in 18th-century clothing (costume will be provided)
- Do rigorous physical activity including demonstrating 18th-century farming methods, field work, and milling
- Work in a dusty environment
- Lift and carry 50 pounds
- Work with 18th-century tools and implements
- Conduct hands-on activities such as: caring for tobacco, weeding and harvesting crops, threshing and winnowing wheat, cooking 18th-century recipes, spinning and weaving wool, and others (no previous experience required)
- Greet and talk with numerous guests of all ages
- Conduct and present an independent research project
Training Program
All interns will complete an intensive training program in interpretive methodology and historical content. Key topics include 18th-century economics and agricultural methods, distilling, milling, and slavery.
Upon completion of training, interns will work as full-time Historic Trades Interpreters, doing costumed living-history interpretation under the direction of the professional interpretive staff. Interns do not need to be in character. Interns will be expected to work a five-day, 40-hour week, including weekends and some evenings.
In addition, interns will participate in department-sponsored field trips to other historic sites and museums in the region.
Interns must complete and present a research project on George Washington, agriculture, 18th-century trades, or related topics. Historic Trades staff will work with colleges and universities to ensure that, if applicable, course credit requirements are met.
Salary
This is a paid internship. Interns will receive an estimated stipend of about $450/week. Interns also receive reimbursement of up to $350 for travel expenses to and from Mount Vernon.
As employees of Mount Vernon, interns are required to adhere to Mount Vernon’s Employee Handbook policies. Proof of up-to-date tetanus vaccination will be required before the first work day.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Washington's Gristmill
Learn more about the milling process at Washington's Gristmill from our master miller, Steve Bashore.
Watch the video