Volunteer at a Historical Park
Nebraska’s state historical parks offer a variety of rewarding volunteer opportunities. Volunteers bring the past to life for visitors of all ages by assisting with historical reenactments, educational programs, and site maintenance. Whether you’re passionate about heritage, enjoy working outdoors, or simply want to give back to your local community, volunteering at a historical park offers a meaningful way to make a lasting impact.
Get started
Please fill out our interest form below if you would like to be contacted about upcoming volunteer opportunities at state historical parks.
Volunteer opportunities
Upkeep historical landscapes
If you’re more interested in the behind-the-scenes volunteer work, we also offer a variety of landscaping and groundskeeping opportunities. These volunteers play the vital role of keeping our historical parks beautiful as well as showcasing the history of agricultural practices in Nebraska, such as heirloom and pollinator gardens. Whether your interested in gardening and horticulture, snow removal, mowing, post-storm debris cleanup, and more, we may have something for you.
Support research and education
Volunteers also support Nebraska’s state historical parks by helping with research for exhibits and educational programs or by assisting with tour groups and field trips. They may help gather historical information, review archival materials, or contribute ideas that make exhibits accurate and engaging for visitors of all ages.
During tours and school visits, volunteers can welcome guests, help guide groups, answer questions and support learning activities. These roles help ensure that visitors have meaningful, well-organized experiences.
Construct, repair and restore
Working alongside staff and preservation professionals, volunteers play the important role of assisting with tasks such as repairing woodwork, repainting historically accurate finishes, stabilizing structures, and maintaining cabins, forts, and other historic sites so they remain safe and authentic for visitors.
Volunteers can also help restore and care for historic furniture and interior features through cleaning, conservation, and traditional repair methods. In doing so, they gain hands-on experience with preservation techniques while helping reduce restoration costs and strengthen community connections to Nebraska’s history.
Become a historical reenactor
Historical reenactors play an essential role in the success of Nebraska Game and Parks’ Living History events, transforming historic sites into immersive, engaging experiences. By portraying people of the past, demonstrating period skills, and sharing firsthand perspectives, reenactors help visitors better understand daily life, culture, and historical events in a memorable and relatable way.
FAQs
Please fill out the contact form on this web page to get in touch with a specific park. The form also asks what tasks and interests are most appealing to you.
To learn more about volunteering at Fort Atkinson State Historical Park, visit the Friends of Fort Atkinson website.
Please fill out the contact form on this web page and select the “yes” for the historical reenactor interest question. Once your contact form is processed, you will receive information about upcoming training events, which you would be required to complete before participating as a reenactor at our Living History events. These training events will also be posted directly to our Outdoor Calendar.
Generally, time commitment is dependent on volunteer availability and park needs.
Historical reenactors
Fort Atkinson: Fort Atkinson offers six Living History weekends from May through October, both Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., plus a one-day Candlelight Tour in November. As for a commitment, it depends on what the volunteer is able to help with. Fill out the volunteer interest form for Fort Atkinson here.
Rock Creek Station: Rock Creek Station hosts several Living History weekends and other special events throughout the year. Time commitment is dependent on volunteer availability and park needs.
Fort Atkinson: Fort Atkinson has fully stocked Quartermaster room where uniforms and gear can be checked out. If a volunteer wishes to purchase their own clothing, park staff can provide information about where they can buy from. The fort also has a library with sewing patterns that can be checked out if a person wants to make their own clothes.
Rock Creek Station: Living history volunteers that do not have a clothing kit of their own can purchase clothing through online vendors that specialize in providing accurate reproductions to the living history community. Costs for a clothing kit can vary widely depending on the social and economic standing of the personas being portrayed by our volunteers, and where the items are purchased. The park may also have a limited selection of clothing that can be borrowed by volunteers just getting started in the living history hobby. A list of clothing guidelines, approved vendors, and resources for volunteers wanting to craft their own clothing are available from the park for those interested in building a living history impression.
No, there are no restrictions. However, participants under the age of 18 must have signed consent from a parent or guardian.
