Jefferson County Historical Society
JCHS Mission: To actively discover, collect, preserve, and promote the heritage of
Jefferson County in the State of Washington.

Get dressed up and join the fun. The historical society has taken on the sponsorship of Port Townsend's annual Victorian Festival. To find out how you can join the fun, check the Victorian Festival website.  Here, Gay Stover models a traditional mourning costume during the 2006 Victorian Fashion Show.

Volunteer Opportunities

You probably live her- at least in part - because you value and are interested in our community's lively history.

Volunteering with the Jefferson County Historical Society provides an array of  opportunities to have fun learning and to get connected to those working to preserve our cultural heritage. There are few things more enjoyable than exercising your talents!  If you have some time to share, we can promise you great opportunities to learn and practice your skills in the company of wonderful people.

Opportunities abound at the Museum. Volunteers are the foundation of this 54-year-old organization and several projects are always underway behind the scenes. We invite you to jump in! Here are some opportunities for the coming months.

• Become a Museum Docent: Welcome visitors to the Museum, located in the beautifully restored landmark Port Townsend City Hall building.  Learn all about our community's lively history and share your knowledge with visitors.  Shifts are two and a half hours long.  Contact Phyllis Snyder for more information.
• Greet and Inform Visitors at the Olympic Peninsula Gateway Visitors' Center.  Contact Bill Roney.
• Conduct Living History Walking Tours:  Learn and share the history of Port Townsend's downtown and uptown historic districts.  Contact Lynne Sterling.
• Become a Local History Researcher: Our Research Center is increasingly popular. We need assistants to handle basic research requests that come in over the phone and via email. Contact Marsha Moratti (379-6673).
• Catalog the Historic Photo Collection: We need assistance identifying and organizing our collection of over 20,000 photographs. This is a fun, never-ending project. Anyone who has lived in the county for a long time might be especially helpful identifying places and people. To offer your assistance, contact Marsha Moratti (379-6673).
• Become a Rothschild House Docent: Learn to share this historic treasure. Perched on the bluff overlooking the downtown historic district, this house and its garden provide an exceptionally pleasant setting for both docents and visitors. The house manager, Phyllis Snyder, schools new volunteers about the Rothschild family, their home and early Port Townsend. Typically, volunteers work a three-hour shift.
• Survey Historic Properties: Are you fascinated by old buildings?  Do you have an interest in architectural styles?  Do you find yourself slowly driving around neighborhoods, just looking at houses?  Here's an opportunity to immerse yourself in your "old house" passion!  Surveying involves exterior observation and recording.  Documenting a building's architectural style is part of the process.  JCHS will happily get you up to speed on architectural styles and terminology.  Contact Bill Tennent ( 385-1003) to learn more.
• Enter Computer Data: We're currently converting the records of our museum's collections into PastPerfect, a software program that provides greater access to our artifacts and archives.  We need help entering information into this program. To learn how you can help, contact Marsha Moratti (379-6673).

 
JCHS is a member of PTTV and produces a variety of programs about local history and historic preservation projects.