Become a Volunteer

Volunteering at the Hickory Landmarks Society can be a rewarding and memorable experience. Make new friends. Find fulfillment. Be recognized. Help an important charity to achieve its goal. Over 150 volunteers helped us in some way last year. Whatever your age or interests are, we need you! Below are some of the many opportunities. Contact us at any time.

For information about volunteering with the Hickory Landmarks Society please contact the HLS Office at 828-322-4731 or info@hickorylandmarks.org.

Office and Administrative Volunteer Assistance.
Historic Maple Grove House Museum, 542 Second Street, NE, Hickory

• Serve as receptionist on Mondays or “on call” when staff are away. Times and hours flexible. Answer telephone, take messages, greet visitors, provide self-guided tour materials to tourists.
• Bulk mailings assistance (3-5 times per year. Range: 300-1,800 items per mailing). Work with volunteer team.
• Home and Garden Tour (each May): Poster distribution in Hickory. Arrange for delivery of tickets to off-site ticket sales sites.  “Hole-punch” tour tickets at one of the properties on day of Tour.
• Poinsettia Sale at Maple Grove, late November-early December (options below):
       Brochure distribution
       Sell Poinsettias at Maple Grove  (2 ½ hour time slots)
       Help deliver Poinsettias

Historical, Curatorial, and Education Volunteer Service

• Maintain Reference Library : catalog cards, shelve library Books. Update inventory.
• Museum Collections Records (options below):
       Assist Curator of Collections with inventory update, archival scanning, furniture cleaning and conservation, etc.
       Cataloguing data entry assistance.
       Collection object research assistance to update documentation files. 
• Decorating help for Programs & Special Events (Victorian Evening at Maple Grove, Propst House Victorian Christmas Season)
• Heritage Days at Maple Grove: April. Annual outdoor heritage education program for 4th grade level school children
       Parking assistance 
       Interpretation and guided tours 
        “Grounds Official” to assist Coordinators with any troubleshooting (3 hrs.)
       Set-up & take-down help, tents and tables, etc. (2 hours)

Historic Preservation Volunteer Work

• Garden Maintenance: Maple Grove and/or Propst Cookhouse Herb Gardens (actual hands-on participation, or supervision of a team of volunteers to upkeep)
• Endangered Properties volunteer SWAT team (Stabilization With A Team): Assistance as needed to help save and “revolve” old properties. Physical historic landmark minor repairs and clean-up work in advance of viewings and re-sell. Examples of properties that our SWAT team has assisted:  1889 Clement Geitner House. 1910 Espey-Nowell-Little House. 1882 Propst “cookhouse.” 1937 Boy Scout cabin.  1907 John Eckard House.

Note: Work is physical and may be risky at times. HLS encourages adequate liability insurance coverage for any accidents by volunteers that may occur. 

Volunteer Museum Guides Needed!
Join our HLS Docent Guild

Would you like to become a museum tour guide?  Receive special training and optional refresher courses for volunteer service at the Maple Grove Historical Museum and/or the Propst House Museum, both in Hickory.  Optional tour guide work in the areas of random tourist visitations, adult group tours, school tours, special theme tours, and our popular Heritage Days at Maple Grove exclusively for 4th grade level students in April. 

In the past seven years over 35 trainees have become museum guides, a.k.a. docents.  Most are scheduled to volunteer during regular museum hours, on an “on-call” basis, or assist with special tours. All trained guides are invited to join the Hickory Landmarks Society Docent Guild (free). The Docent Guild is an 18 year old organization dedicated to assisting HLS museum guides by furthering their knowledge and service. The Guild provides continuing education, a clearinghouse of information, volunteer recognition, and educational programs.