Museum in Beaver gains interns

Apr 12, 2012 (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Students majoring in history at Geneva College can practice what their professors teach by doing an internship at the Beaver Area Heritage Museum, which is virtually in their backyard.

The college in Beaver Falls and the museum in Beaver just started a collaboration this semester.

Students earn college credits while volunteering 45 hours at the museum that houses thousands of artifacts and documents about the history of Beaver, Bridgewater, Brighton Township and Vanport.

"It's a win-win for us" and the college, said Midge Sefton, a retired teacher who is director of collections management at the Heritage Museum, which is housed in a freight station in Beaver. She's one of 50 volunteers who "work" at the museum.

Geneva students work on archives, displays and all aspects of museum operations as well as serving as "greeters" on weekends, said Jeff Cole, professor of history and humanities at Geneva.

Business is booming at the museum right now, thanks to a Civil War display on loan from the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, Ms. Sefton said. That display runs through April 22.

This is a new program for the Heinz center, putting some of its collection on the road at other museums. Forty museums will be getting the Civil War display, "but we're the first to get it," Ms. Sefton said.

The first Geneva intern in the program is Aaron O'Data of Rochester, a senior history major and president of the college history club. He spent a summer volunteering at the Beaver museum, and was instrumental in establishing the new internship, Mr. Cole said.

Sean New, also a senior at Geneva, has also been volunteering at the museum.

"Sean wasn't able to fit the internship into his schedule but he is volunteering with Aaron," Ms. Sefton said. "We have learned so much from these young men. They are young and energetic and they have great ideas." The 90-year-old freight station building, formerly owned by the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad, was renovated through public funding and a grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. It reopened as a museum in 1998. One year later the Beaver Area Heritage Museum was awarded Best Local History Museum by the American Association of State and Local History.

Part of the museum is a reconstructed 200-year-old log house and the Fort McIntosh site, which was in service during the American Revolution.

Mr. Cole said, "An internship experience at the museum offers important opportunities in researching, writing and interacting with living history. Students learn about the archival process and how a museum operates. We are enthusiastic about this opportunity for students to gain real-world experience that will benefit them as they pursue graduate school and career opportunities." The internship has already had a positive impact on the life of Mr. O'Data. Next fall he'll be pursuing a master's degree in public history at Duquesne University, where he was awarded an assistantship. He credits the history internship with helping him achieve that.

Linda Wilson Fuoco: lfuoco@post-gazette.com or 412-722-0087.

___ (c)2012 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Visit the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at www.post-gazette.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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