This summer, I found myself interning for Historic Trappe (the new name for the upcoming merge of The Speaker's House and the Historical Society of Trappe). Similar to last year, I'll spend a month participating in the archaeology field school at The Speaker's House (we'll be excavating again in the side porch area, as well as the front porch), and the rest of the time doing different tasks for Historic Trappe in general. Mostly, I expect to be working in the library and archives at Dewee's Tavern, as well as different museum-related works concerning the artifacts found both at Henry Muhlenberg's House and The Speaker's House. I'm excited to see how this internship goes, but I have no doubt that I will have a great time, and learn from a variety of work experiences. Even after my first week, I can safely say I've learned a lot.
As I did last year, I will give a brief description of what I did each work day, as well as keep track of my work hours.
Tuesday, May 21st, 2019
Today I did a mish-mash of different tasks. First, I helped set up for the redware photography shoot that was to go on for most of this week at Dewee's Tavern. I assisted my employer, who was in charge of the shoot, as the redware would be featured in a catalog for an exhibit she was planning, in clearing space for the photoshoot. Then, I helped the photographer in bringing his equipment inside. After that, my employer and I let the photographer prepare further, so she showed me around the building, as a lot of things have changed since my last time here; the majority of the first floor was torn apart for renovation, a room on the second floor was also being redone, the previously historically staged room was turned into a 'lab' area, and the former military exhibit was turned into a lecture/meeting space. Additionally, she started to inform me of what my library/archive tasks would be: I, as well as another intern and an older volunteer, would be going through the items within the library and archives, weeding/de-accessioning unnecessary items and inventorying those that would be kept. Then, another potential intern came to talk with my employer, after which I showed her around The Speaker's House. We then met back up with my employer at Henry's, where a tour was given to both of us (a lot of things had changed since my previous year). When the potential intern left, I went back to Dewee's to meet with the older volunteer I would be working with, who told me her methods for assessing the items within the collection. Finally, I stayed at work late to help with the front porch demolition at The Speaker's House, as money was collected to fund the construction of a new, more historically accurate front entrance; I was there to make sure the archaeology wasn't disturbed, as that area is where some of the excavation during the field school will be occurring. Before heading to where I was staying, I locked up Dewee's for the photographer.
Hours: 9:00am to 7:30pm
Overall Working Hours: 10 hours 30 minutes
Wednesday, May 22nd, 2019
Today I started work earlier in order to let in the photographer, who decided to start early as he was afraid that he wouldn't finish all of the shots he needed to do before he left. When my employer arrived, I helped them with the shoot, specifically with the loan paperwork, unpacking and re-packing items, and taking object measurements. Additionally, my employer tasked me with finding interesting redware artifact examples housed in Dewee's Archaeology Annex attic room that were taken from previous excavations at the Henry Muhlenberg House. While it doesn't sound like I did a lot, it was an extremely busy day, and we ended later once again (which will be a common theme throughout the week).
Hours: 8:30am to 7:45pm
Overall Working Hours: 10 hours 15 minutes
Thursday, May 23rd, 2019
Starting even earlier than the day before, I once again opened Dewee's for the photographer's early start. Then, I headed to The Speaker's House to look for interesting redware examples from excavations that occurred there. Funnily enough, the excavation units I took samples from, EUs 82 and 107, were units I had actually dug (the former in 2015, the latter last summer). I brought them to Dewee's, where I temporarily labeled and reconstructed them. These artifacts, along with the kiln furniture artifacts found in the Archaeology Annex room, were then arranged to be photographed, of which I did help in their staging. During the day, I also briefly worked with the older volunteer in assessing some of the books in the library.
Hours: 8:15am to 8:15pm
Overall Working Hours: 12 hours
Friday, May 24th, 2019
Today was the earliest start yet, and not just to let the photographer into Dewee's, but also so I could oversee the demolition of The Speaker's House's front porch. I was there once more to ensure that the archaeology wasn't too disturbed, and to collect any surface finds. It took all morning to get rid of all of the concrete, even with a backhoe. But, finally it was finished, ready for the field school. After lunch, I then helped my employer clean out The Speaker's House, again to prepare for the field school. I then finished out the day by putting back the archaeology artifacts collected for the photoshoot in their proper places.
Hours: 8:00am to 5:30pm
Overall Working Hours: 9 hours 30 minutes
Saturday, May 25th, 2019
Compared to my other work days this week, today was the most laid back. I started by helping other workers set up the Farmer's Market at The Speaker's House. During the Farmer's Market's hours, I did give brief tours of the building/archaeology. I then assisted one of the archaeology volunteers prepare for the field school, mostly finding all of our equipment. Finally, I went to Dewee's to return some redware pieces to a woman who had lent them for the photoshoot, making sure she filled out her loan form. Thankfully, after a long week, I was given the rest of the day off.
Hours: 8:45am to 2:00pm
Overall Working Hours: 5 hours 15 minutes
Week 1 Total Work Time: 45 hours 30 minutes (minus 4 hours for lunch each day except Saturday) = 41 hours 30 minutes