New Volunteer Opportunities
April 6, 2019: Jekyll Garden Volunteer Kickoff - 1-3 PM - All are welcome!
April 13, 2019: New & Returning Volunteer Training beginning at 10:00 AM
Registration Requested.
Do you have a passion for history, or love gardening? Are you interested in learning about and sharing the stories of the families who lived at this historic site? Become a volunteer and engage visitors from around the world in exploring and experiencing more than 270 years of the history of our community. The Museum is seeking friendly, reliable and enthusiastic volunteers to become docents, shop keepers, assist with youth and educational programs, and help out during special events. We also offer the opportunity to become a part of Gertrude’s Gardeners, an all-volunteer group dedicated to maintaining the only extant American garden planned by England’s most venerated designer, Gertrude Jekyll.
The Glebe House Museum & Gertrude Jekyll Garden will be opening its door to the public for the 2019 season on May 1st with new exhibits, additions to the collection, plans for adult and youth lectures, workshops, open houses, social and educational events and our major fundraiser An Evening of Festive Dinners with Friends on June 1st. We have been welcoming visitors to our unique historical and cultural landmark since 1925.
The Hurd Family, who settled in the Hollow in the 1670’s, built the Glebe House between 1745-1750. Offering a glimpse of life in Revolutionary War-era Connecticut, the house is furnished to represent the life of the Marshall family from 1771-1786 and reflects Woodbury as a prosperous hub of agricultural and commercial activity. Later it became the home and place of work for silversmith Gideon Botsford who lived here for 67 years. The Gertrude Jekyll Garden, designed in 1926 to celebrate the opening of the Museum but not installed until 1990, surrounds the house with its Colonial Revival style beauty. Today the Glebe House Museum & Gertrude Jekyll Garden operates as a non-profit, educational institution and is open for regular tours May through October. Group tours and programs for adults and children are offered year round.
Training is provided to all volunteers regardless of the area of service. Volunteers will learn about the history of the house and garden, including Miss Jekyll’s influence on garden design and how our garden came to be. Training will take place Saturday, April 13th beginning at 10:00 am. Special arrangements will be made for anyone who cannot make that day. There will be training in specific techniques of giving a guided tour and working in the gift shop. Monthly meetings of the “Friends of the Glebe House” provide volunteers the chance to get acquainted with one another and share ideas for making their volunteer experience satisfying. Those interested in volunteer opportunities may attend the first 2019 “Friends of the Glebe” meeting on Tuesday, April 2 at 10:00 am.
This is an opportunity to try something different, to share skills you may have, or to learn new ones. If you would like to be a part of the future of the museum by becoming a volunteer, please call/email the Museum Director for more information about our volunteer program at 203-263-2855 / office@glebehousemuseum.org
