For my internship in Gettysburg over the summer of 2018, I was given the opportunity to experience both archival and public history careers. The majority of the summer was spent in archives around South Central Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., and Charlottesville, Virginia. I compared the databases of the archives with the materials that were already housed in Gettysburg and would then embark to collect new documents for the National Park’s collection. The first project that the research staff and I undertook was to create a comprehensive timeline that showed the importance of the Josiah Banner Farm to the town of Gettysburg before, during, and after the battle. This project and the others we completed helped me to hone some of the skills I had already learned at Allegheny, particularly writing and research oriented skills. Before coming to Gettysburg, I had a distinct fear of public speaking and always dreaded giving large presentations. This fear will hopefully be assuaged as I have now given numerous programs for the public in the Soldiers’ National Cemetery. The opportunity to speak in front of a public audience about a topic of my choice was a challenge that made me more confident in my ability to speak publicly. This internship allowed my personal network to grow as I made many connections through the park staff and throughout my travels. This was a vastly impactful summer for me, as it has opened a potential career pathway that I had not previously considered. Any student could benefit from this experience as it opened my eyes to the challenges and rewards of archival studies as I will be preparing to begin my comp in the coming year. It also afforded me the opportunity to speak in front of a large crowd and teach others about the amazing National Park that I got to call home for ten weeks of the summer.
