Greentown volunteers

Thanks for your interest in helping Greentown Preservation Association! We have a variety of volunteer opportunities. Some of these are listed below, but please feel free to suggest other ways to contribute!

Labor and equipment operation: Our main project in progress now is the disassembly of an 1820s log cabin in Butler and its transportation and reassembly on the Greentown site. We can use help in the actual physical labor and in the loan of equipment. We also hope to put in the main access road this year from SR 39 to the site as well as start construction on the council house (new materials). Site maintenance is on-going, consisting mostly of keeping paths clear and cutting back brush. We have regular work days, weather permitting, on the second Saturday of each month and others as needed. Also, special events offer plenty of opportunity to help set up, move around and break down.

Education: We need volunteers, preferably but not necessarily with an education background, to present programs on Greentown in classrooms and to other interested groups, both youngsters and adults. A script and slide show would be provided. We also need people to set up educational programs and workshops for teachers and students and put together lesson plans and teachers’ guides.

Fund-raising: This runs the gamut from staffing special events, such as fair booths, to contacting individuals and businesses for financial or in-kind aid to researching and writing applications for grants and loans.

Research: While much progress has been made in uncovering historical information about Greentown and the people who lived there, most of it has been accomplished on-line. There will be a continual need for researchers to visit various libraries and archives. Also genealogical and investigative skills can be used on-line to track down descendants of Greentown residents as well as potential supporters/donors.

Re-enactment and interpretation: People in the regalia of the 1792-1812 period play an important part in our on-site events. While re-enactors usually have invested a great deal in accurate period clothing and supplies and have broader interests than Greentown, interpreters are more like actors who portray specific characters on the site and explain to visitors who they are and answer questions. The latter also might want to make off-site appearances for educational purposes.

On-site events: Right now, we are scheduling one annual event – the Greentown Gathering in mid-September – but hope to open the site to the general public as well as targeted groups more times during the year. Jobs for this include publicity; recruiting and organizing volunteers, re-enactors and vendors; selling souvenir and educational items during the event; general supervision of crowd flow; parking supervision; signage; kids crafts; etc.

Gardening/farming: We have planted a small “three-sisters” garden to demonstrate a traditional custom of growing corn, beans and squash together, and this of course takes continual attention, but the Greentown Indians also planted kitchen gardens and larger fields of wheat and corn and kept animals such as horses, cattle, hogs and chickens. We would like to introduce these elements to the site – the crops annually and the animals for special events.

Special skills:

· Artistic/design talent for the development of educational and souvenir materials.

· Photographic and video abilities to develop presentations.

· Archaeological and/or museum training to set up and supervise the investigation, discovery, handling, cleaning, cataloging, storage and display of artifacts found on the site.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, QUESTIONS AND SUGGESTIONS, PLEASE EMAIL US AT INFO@GREENTOWNPRESERVATION.ORG OR SNAIL-MAIL US AT P.O. BOX 3, PERRYSVILLE, OH 44864.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

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