Springfield Art & Historical Society 

Intern Program:

The Student Intern Program was a unique and important aspect of the Springfield Art & Historical Society. The program, founded in 1996 and led by John Swanson and Emily Swanson, involved local students ranging in age from 13 to 18. Each year, the interns curated several exhibits, organize projects and made field trips to visit other museums and historic site.

Prospective interns went through an application and interview process conducted by the intern coordinators. Students selected for the program must show an interest in history and demonstrate strong academic skills, especially writing and research. The student interns worked with the historical collections under the guidance of the intern coordinators, SAHS curators, and volunteers.

The program teaches participants research techniques ranging from artifact identification to conducting interviews for oral history preservation. The student interns are involved in the preparation of exhibits, and processing documents and artifacts donated to the Society's collections. In addition to these tasks, student interns assist the SAHS with fundraisers and other special events. Weekly program meetings are held throughout the year.  The program dissolved in 2020 following the pandemic and the move away from Springfield by John Swanson.

In 2010 our program received the Award for Excellence from the League of Local Historical Societies & Museums.

Work conducted by the student interns may be considered community service and count towards the community service hours required by the Springfield School District.

Historical exhibits and special events prepared by our student interns include:

• "Snap Shot of Springfield - Springfield, Vermont in the Month of May (2008)

• "Hub of the Universe - Springfield in WWII" (2009)

• "Springfield Survives! A History of Disasters in Springfield, Vermont (2010)

• "250 Years to Shine - A History of Springfield, Vermont (2011) Part of Springfield's 250th anniversary celebration

• "250 Years of Fashion - A Vintage Fashion Show" (2011) Part of Springfield's 250th anniversary celebration

• Market Madness, special event for Springfield Farmers' Market (2012)

• Vermont Apple Festival booth - (2009 to 2012)

• 2016-2017 research and displays on World War I and the Spanish Influenza of 1918.  

• 2018 community service was provided by some of our student interns when they assisted with the Chamber of Commerce Mixer at SAHS