Collections Assistant Internship - Summer

Collections Internship – Essex Historical Society and Shipbuilding Museum

The Essex Historical Society and Shipbuilding Museum invites current or recent undergraduates in Museum Studies, Public History, History, or related fields to apply for a hands‑on collections internship within a working maritime museum and historic site.

Interns will engage directly with accessioning, cataloging, digitization, and collections care. Responsibilities may include object photography, transcription of historical documents, inventory verification, scanning of photographs and plans, and maintaining organized digital archives.

This internship offers meaningful exposure to archival standards, preservation practice, and the stewardship of a nationally significant maritime collection within an active public institution.

Applications are accepted through April 15, 2026. Please email a cover letter and resume to:
Alyssa Rao, (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). Subject line:
Internship – Collections Assistant.

• Compensation
  :
  This is an unpaid internship designed to provide substantive professional experience, mentorship, and portfolio development in collections management and archival practice.
• Duration
  :
  Summer 2026. Flexible start and end dates. Schedule determined in collaboration with the Curator.
• Reports to
  :
  Alyssa Rao, Curator.

Founded in 1937, the Essex Historical Society and Shipbuilding Museum preserves and interprets more than three centuries of continuous shipbuilding on the Essex River. The museum stewards a historic waterfront shipyard, the 1835 Essex Central Schoolhouse, and significant town burial grounds in the center of Essex.

The collection includes more than 10,000 objects and over 30,000 photographs documenting the design, construction, and working lives of Essex built vessels. The archives hold 18th through 20th century manuscripts including daybooks, vessel contracts, labor records, school records, and personal correspondence that illuminate daily life in a maritime community. The museum also stewards over 500 historic shipbuilding tools and approximately 500 vessel plans, along with the 1927 schooner Evelina M.

Goulart on site.