Becoming a Volunteer
Troutdale Historical Society has many opportunities for volunteer service. As a non-profit organization dedicated to gathering, preserving, and sharing the history of this community, we rely on volunteers to keep our mission on task and keep our museums open. Here is a list of volunteer opportunities that you may enjoy doing.
Docent: A docent is the host of the museum. They are the first person a guest meets when entering our museums. Their duties include greeting each customer, answering questions, recording each visitor, and ringing up store sales. If you have a specific historic interest, you can choose between our three museums. 1907 Depot Rail Museum, 1900 Harlow House Museum, and the King of Roads-Byway of the People. No experience is necessary. If you enjoy talking to people and telling stories, this is the perfect opportunity for you. Each shift is 2 - 3 hours. You can choose which day/shift works best for you and how often - 1 per week, every other week, or once per month. The docent shifts are very flexible to suit your needs.
Events: There are several special events throughout the year - Summer outdoor Barnyard Concerts, monthly First Friday Art Walk and History Programs. If you enjoy planning, organizing or helping behind the scenes to prepare for an event, this is the perfect opportunity for you.
Curator: When historic artifacts are accepted into our collection they are processed by a curator. The process is an on the job training by the Collection Manager that requires attention to detail, computer aptitude, photographing, procedural identification, data entry, and proper care/storage for our objects, photos, documents, and research library. If you enjoy working with historic items, working on our PastPerfect database (no prior experience necessary), this is a perfect opportunity for you.
Special Office Projects: Occasionally there are office tasks that need work. They may be ongoing or short-lived. These projects can sometimes be completed by a docent while on shift or someone who would like to work in the office at their leisure.
Maintenance: Three museums require a great deal of maintenance - painting, construction, overseeing contractors, yard maintenance, moving heaving items, and general "fix-it" jobs. If you like to work with your hands, have a general knowledge of maintenance type repairs, this is the perfect opportunity for you.
To sign up to become a volunteer, you can call the office 503-661-2164, stop by the Barn Exhibit Hall (726 E Historic Columbia River Hwy) - ask for LeAnn, or fill out this form and mail or email it to troutdalehistory@gmail.com.