Document Type

Article

Domestic/International

Domestic

Location

Wheeling, West Virginia, United States

Publication Date

2025

Abstract

Mara Cartwright's fall 2025 internship reflection details her summer experience at West Virginia Independence Hall, a small museum where the state was founded in 1863. Cartwright, a student at Connecticut College, chose this local museum to learn about the authentic operations of small-scale institutions rather than a larger, more recognizable one. Her primary role was assisting with West Virginia Day, the museum's largest annual event, which celebrates the state's birthday on June 20th. She also assisted with various other tasks, including gardening, touch-up painting, researching a cavalry sword, and creating an archival catalog for the museum's books. Beyond the practical skills, Cartwright's internship taught her the importance of community involvement, highlighting that history is not just in books but lives through people who preserve and remember it together. She concludes that showing up and participating in these community spaces is essential to keeping history and communities alive.

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The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author.