Castine and Hannah

Hannah, graduate student, tells us about her internship in Maine.

“Over the summer of 2018, I had the opportunity to work with the Castine Historical Society (CHS) as their graduate curatorial intern. I spent ten weeks living in the small, sleepy coastal town of Castine, Maine. The curator of CHS, Paige Lilly, was my direct supervisor. I worked closely with both Paige and Lisa, the new executive director of the historical society. I found it extremely intriguing witnessing the dynamics of how a small town historical society operated. Considering the population of the town of Castine is only a little over 1,000 residents, the professionalism of the Castine Historical Society is truly impressive from their exhibit displays, collection management practices, and state of the art geothermal archival space.

I immensely enjoyed my time working with CHS over the summer, and I had the opportunity to build upon my professional skills as a future public historian. Between learning about the vast history of the town of Castine, chartered in 1786, leading historic walking tours, cataloging and accessioning stereoviews, and assisting in planning the summer exhibit for 2019, I found myself busy this summer. I loved every minute of it though; each day was filled with new adventures and pushed me to put into practice the skills and theories that I had learned from the classroom. Every time friends and family inquired about the progress of my summer, I found myself enthusiastically describing how I got to spend my days reading through old ship ledgers and letters of sea captains dating back to the 19th century. I spent many days this summer lost in the tales and drama of adventures of the past locked away in the historical society’s archives. The experience of working as the graduate curatorial intern for the Castine Historical Society was simply amazing. When I was not working at CHS, I spent my time exploring the picturesque coastal lands of Maine. I truly am so thankful that I had this opportunity and I know that I will forever treasure the memories of this summer.”