Volunteer

National Park Service
Volunteers in Parks Program

Volunteers are an important part of all facets of the operation at Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial, performing a variety of duties including visitor services/interpretation, gardening, and historical research. Most volunteers live in the local area and work a minimum of eight hours per month. All schedules are arranged with the volunteer coordinator.

Please contact Arlington House for information on volunteer opportunities.

 

Job Title: Visitor Services Volunteer-Docent

Dates: Positions are available on an ongoing basis.

Duties: Volunteers provide information/interpretation in Arlington House, and rove the grounds while initiating visitor contacts and providing information on primary and secondary themes of the site. The primary theme of the site is the life of Robert E. Lee and his family at Arlington House. Secondary site themes include The Washington-Custis-Lee legacy and the lives of the enslaved African Americans who were owned by the Custis-Lee family and lived and worked on the plantation.

Skills: The volunteer must have an interest in and/or knowledge of 19th century American history specifically the antebellum period and Civil War. He /she must be able to communicate easily with people of diverse backgrounds in one-on-one situations and in small and large groups.

Job Title: Volunteer Historic Clothing Seamstress/Tailor

Dates: Positions are available on an ongoing basis.

Duties: Volunteer Historic Clothing Seamstress/Tailors will mend, repair, alter, and/or construct reproduction historical period clothing.

Skills: The volunteer must have knowledge of basic sewing and/or tailoring techniques.

Job Title: Historical Researcher Volunteer - African American History

Dates: Positions are available on an ongoing basis

Duties: Volunteer researcher will help document the story of African Americans at Arlington House, Arlington County, Alexandria City and County between 1802 and 1900. Tasks would include archival, library, and internet research plus, e-mailing, phone calls and an occasional meeting with research coordinator. The goal of this effort is to gather additional documentation in order to expand and improve the interpretation of African American history and slavery at Arlington House.

Skills: The volunteer must have an interest in and/or knowledge of 19th century American history specifically the antebellum period and Civil War.

Job Title: Woodlands Rescue - Invasive Exotic Plant Removal Volunteer

Dates: Second and Fourth Saturday of the month May - October.

Duties: Volunteers are needed to help eradicate invasive, exotic plants, from the Arlington House Woodlands, an uncut vestige of forest at Arlington House. Beginning at 9 a.m., work teams will remove invasive exotic plants.

Skills: The volunteer must be able to do work of a physical nature in an outdoor environment.