Volunteering

How can a nonprofit community-based museum like 19th Century Curran Village serve the public more effectively?     …through your volunteerism!

 

 
 
There are so many different areas we can use volunteers for! Working events, helping with school field trips, working on projects on our work days, cooking, cleaning, setting up displays—the list is endless!!!
 
If you are interested in volunteering, or would like more information call the museum director, Robert Schmick, at (207)205-4849 or E-mail: thecurranhomestead@gmail.com.  
We hope you will join us!
 
People volunteer for all kinds of reasons at The Curran Homestead and some of them are:
  • Making new friends
  • Having fun!
  • Making use of the time you have now that you are retired
  • Learning new skills like driving a circa 1950 tractor or forging a set of strap hinges for a barn door!
  • Keeping a little bit of the past alive by helping us to share skills and knowledge in venues provided at our living history museum
  • Sharing unique skills you may have with others
  • Making a contribution to a younger generation
  • Learning more about your community and your neighbors
  • Trying something never before attempted by you or your friends
  • Feeling satisfaction at getting things done and helping others
  • Creating things using the facilities and equipment on hand at the museum
  • Relieving stress
  • Spending time doing something you really care about.
…and the reason given most often is that you can make a difference!
As a part of The Curran Homestead you help us preserve a bit of our rural Maine heritage.
 
What will you choose to contribute? We need people, and your contribution can be as little as a few hours each month.
 
Do you like objects and materials from the past?
Assist in the documentation, research and presentation of our collections. Help create exhibits, living history programming using our collection, and static displays, draft display texts, and create signage.
 
Are you the type who likes to work outdoors?
There is the potential to grow produce and perennial herbs, as well as enjoy the beautiful seasonal changes of this rural Maine site. We have plans to cultivate the apple trees on the property for our seasonal cider making, and if you have this experience, you could share it with others at the farm. Help us tap maple trees and produce maple syrup on a small scale for our yearly sugaring event. 

Gallery of Volunteers

Lauren Platt often helps in the Curran Farmhouse. Here she’s making waffles that are drizzled with our own maple syrup at our annual Maple Syrup & Irish Celebration.
New volunteer Pattie Jones is assisting with the development of our pottery Program. We will build a wood burning kiln in the Summer of 2024 after relocating more than 15.000 donated firebricks.
Volunteer Diane Bowden at the old Curran stove. Cooking is something we regularly do in the Farmhouse.
Volunteer Harrison Nicholson helps with birdhouse assembly at our Earth Day Event.
Volunteer Nate Coe, who actually was responsible for a lot of the new construction at Curran Village as one-time paid part-timer but now contributes as a volunteer when he can. Here he is demonstrating grafting apple tree samplings.
Volunteer Richard Lizotte got our steam powered tractor going once again and has demonstrated it regularly. He is a licensed steam boiler operat0r. Volunteer to assist him and learn about steam power.
Volunteer Keith Bowden regularly assists at the Museum. Here he gets our food concession ready for the crowd.
Volunteer Alden Miller is a woodworker, and here he assist a young visitor with birdhouse construction.
Our resident Bluegrass Band that regularly volunteers performances at our events under different names and with a changing list of performers. Jim Leighton, on the far right is a former Board Member, and he is largely responsible for organizing this as well as performing with banjo for decades at the Museum.
Volunteer Calvin McGraw has long been a volunteer. He was a key contributor to the relocation of buildings and collections from the former Willowbrook Museum in Newfield. He largely contributes to assisting us with all things mechanical.
Volunteer Heather Bowden and Board Member Karen Marsters (they’re volunteers too) assist at the new Country Store.
The late Bob Crouse was a founding board member of the Museum, and spent much time putting together our Maple Syruping operation, we really need volunteers to help in this tradition.
Volunteer Zoe Jamison has been a frequent contributor after being an summer history camper alum for two summers. She likes running a letterpress.
Volunteer Mark Matteau travels from Scarborough to assist us in our letterpress office. Mark has run his own one man printing operation since he was 14 years old. We need a new generation of letterpress enthusiasts to go forward. Often we run the letterpress office on Sundays from 2-6PM in conjunction with the onsite Farmers’ Market. Come check it out.