Volunteer
Volunteers are an essential part of Ligonier Valley Historical Society and Compass Inn Museum. We offer a wide variety of volunteer opportunities for individuals ages 16 years and older who are looking to learn something new, meet interesting people, or simply have fun! We provide all training.
Volunteers are asked to join the team for at least two days a month and obtain the mandated Pennsylvania security clearances. If you are under the age of 18, a signed Parental Permission Form must also be completed prior to volunteering.
Read below about becoming a docent, or scroll down to read about other opportunities to volunteer and help out behind the scenes.
Become a Docent
Are you passionate about history?
Do you enjoy learning new information?
Do you enjoy talking with and teaching people of all ages?
Are you looking for ways to get involved in your community & meet new people?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then consider becoming a volunteer docent at Compass Inn Museum!
As a volunteer docent, you will lead tours through our authentic historic stagecoach inn, Compass Inn Museum, and its outbuildings. Dressed in period clothing, you will share stories about traveling during the stagecoach era and of the Armor family who lived and worked in the inn.
You will receive special on-site training with topics including the life of the Armors, the stagecoach industry, group management skills, working with diverse age groups, and public speaking.
Docents work directly with the Head Museum Interpreter to receive all the training and tools necessary for success. Various training sessions are held throughout the year as well as one-on-one coaching. Docents-in-training are provided opportunities to shadow experienced docents and then slowly take over parts of the tour until they are comfortable giving their own tour. Docents must be eighteen years of age or older and obtain the mandated Pennsylvania security clearances before completing docent training.
Docent Opportunities
Student Field Trips – During the school year with the majority taking place in May
Do you love working with kids? We are looking for enthusiastic people to educate the next generation. Docents who volunteer for school tours facilitate kid-friendly tours of the Museum, and lead various activities, including tin punch and candle dipping. This is a great way to be introduced to the site and begin learning the history of Compass Inn Museum.
Regular Season – May - October (Tuesday through Sunday)
Docents during the regular season give tours to the general public for walk-in visitors, groups, and motor coach tours as well as special events like our Living History Weekends and more.
Candlelight Tours – November and December weekends 2:30-8pm
Want to help out but unable to commit to a whole season? Join us for our Harvest and Holiday Candlelight Tours where visitors experience the Inn in candlelight and decorated for the season. Docents give partial tours of one or two rooms of the Inn as visitors move throughout the museum.
Volunteer Blacksmith – Student Field Trips, Living History Weekends, Candlelight Tours, and other special events
Interested in the trade and history of blacksmithing? Our volunteer blacksmiths bring history to life for museum visitors by sharing information about the historical connection between blacksmiths and stagecoach stops while performing forge demonstrations in our reproduction blacksmith shop. Blacksmithing experience is helpful, but not necessary as long as you are willing to learn the trade and the script. Our seasoned blacksmiths are eager to instruct new volunteers.
Other Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteering is about more than leading tours — we always need help behind the scenes, too. If becoming a docent isn’t your thing, consider helping out in the ways listed below.
Archives & Collections (assist staff with cataloging and the digitization of documents, photographs, and other archival materials)
Behind the Scenes & Event Staffing (set up and clean up for special events, etc.)
Clerical (help with office mailings, filing, event check-in, etc.)
Hands-on Activities (assist with children’s activities during summer camp, Living History weekends, and other special events)
Maintenance (assist with opening and closing the museum for the season, yard work, upkeep, etc.)
Museum Shop (front-end customer service, be familiar with tour information, gift shop items, and working with a point of sale system)
If you are interested in sharing your time and talents with Ligonier Valley Historical Society please contact Theresa Gay Rohall at tgrohall@compassinn.org or 724-238-6818 for a volunteer application.
