Internship Program
The National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey offers internships in both its collection management and oral history programs. This is an unpaid Internship program. Internships are available to qualified undergraduate and graduate students who are required to work for credit, as well as to non-credit volunteer interns, looking to expand their portfolios. An intensive work and education experience, critical analysis and good writing skills are essential.
The museum’s programmatic objectives are flexible enough to encourage the creation of projects tailored to students’ interests and needs, while also allowing for a challenging experience and effective results that may be measured by standards of traditional scholarship. Included are opportunities to develop and engage in veteran oral history projects, state history, military history, and cultural history. Under the supervision of the curatorial staff, there is also the opportunity to engage in curriculum development projects.
Sea Girt
Collection Management Internship
The museum’s permanent collection and archives offer scholars interested in military history excellent opportunities for research and professional development. Internship projects are matched to the museum’s needs and priorities and the intern’s interest and schedule. Under the supervision of Assistant Curator Joseph Bilby, interns participate fully as collection staff members and are responsible for conducting research, assisting with correspondence, inventorying specific objects, collection care, cataloguing, and participating in the design and installation of exhibits.
Oral History Internship
Through its Center for U.S. War Veterans’ Oral Histories and partnership with the Library of Congress, the museum offers qualified students the opportunity to gain an understanding of oral history collection and ultimately conduct independent veteran interviews. Under the supervision of Assistant Curator Carol Fowler, the intern will assist with correspondence, research unit histories, prepare questions, support and conduct interviews, prepare transcripts, and create summaries.
Internships are also available in the fields of Special Events, Public Relations, and Graphic Arts. Applications will be considered and accepted based on staff availability and museum schedules.
Lawrenceville
The internship program at Lawrenceville works in conjunction with the intern programs for academic credit at local universities, with past interns graduating from Rider University and The College of New Jersey. The specific structure of the program is variable, depending upon the requirements of the supervising professor, the interests of the student, and the needs of the museum.
In all cases, the student will be exposed to the military history of New Jersey and the role of the Citizen Soldier in the service to the nation and the state. They will be taught to handle artifacts, preserve them, research their use and function, and help to prepare displays. They will be exposed to the workings of an all-voluntary military museum and be expected to learn how to be a successful docent. Preferable fields include marketing, history, communications, and ROTC.
How to Apply
Individuals interested in pursuing an internship can apply using our online application.
February 8,1862
The Ninth New Jersey Infantry became the first New Jersey unit engaged in a full scale battle in the Civil War. At Roanoke Island, North Carolina, the regiment charged through a swamp, gaining the nickname “Jersey Muskrats.”
February 1, 1777
A British force skirmished with New Jersey militiamen at Drake’s Farm, near Springfield, as the “forage war” between the British seeking supplies in the countryside and the local militia heated up.
February 8, 1777
The Forage War continued as New Jersey militia attacked a British force gathering supplies in Quibbletown, today the New Market section of Piscataway Township.
