Charles Pinckney National Historic Site (CHPI) and Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park (FOSU) preserve some of the United States’ most well-known military and political histories. Due to the focus on the histories of the American Civil War and the U.S. Constitution, research and interpretation on relevant local, community, and social histories have been marginalized. Under the supervision and guidance of the Integrated Resource Manager and Historian, and with close collaboration with onsite museum collections staff, FOSU and CHPI are looking to recruit three interns from relevant areas of study to conduct three research projects. One research project each will focus on African American history, women’s history, and LGBTQ+ history within Charleston and the Lowcountry. Each internship addresses one part of the critical FOSU and CHPI deferred storytelling backlog.

Duties include the historical research on local African American, women’s, and LGBTQ+ histories, the creation of relevant interpretive products such as NPS webpages, social media posts, annotated bibliographies, reports on potential future special history studies, and presentations to park staff and the local community. Through the internal reference materials and public-facing articles, webpages, and posts from these internships, these interns will enhance the ability and capacity of interpretive and resources staff to expand their knowledge base and adjust their programming for America at 250.

Interns will have significant influence on their research project (with approval from the historian) based on their individual expertise and interests. Some examples of current research projects include: freedom-seeking efforts from people enslaved at Snee Farm, Black soldiers and civilian personnel at Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie, LGBTQ+ military service members at Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie, healthcare and the lives of the enslaved, descendant communities of Snee Farms, WAAC/WAC at Fort Moultrie, “pest houses” on Sullivan’s Island, etc.

Interns will learn what a career with the National Park Service could entail and build relationships and partnerships with other NPS sites and programs as well as with local historians, repositories, and communities. Interns will also create peer-reviewed documents based on unique personal research.

These positions are onsite in Mount Pleasant, SC, beginning mid-May. Although duty stationed at Charles Pinckney NHS, frequent travel to Fort Moultrie, Fort Sumter, and Charleston, SC will be necessary. Housing and travel stipend provided.

These positions are part of the Internship Program administered by the National Council for Preservation Education (NCPE). The program is a partnership between the National Park Service and NCPE. Eligibility requirements apply; visit https://preservenet.org/ncpe-internships/ for details and instructions on how to apply.

Qualified NCPE interns who successfully complete their internships may count their position towards earning a Public Land Corps (PLC) Non-Competitive Hiring Authority certificate.  Once earned, the PLC hiring authority certificate may be used to apply for eligible Federal temporary, term, or permanent positions. Visit the website listed above for details about this benefit. Successful completion of the internship does not guarantee Federal employment.