What is Ben Lomond?
Ben Lomond and its outbuildings were constructed for Benjamin Tasker Chinn in 1832. Confederate forces used the house as a hospital following the 1861 Battle of First Manassas and you can find the many signatures of Federal soldiers who occupied the property in 1862 all over the walls. Here you can smell, touch, hear, and taste history in an immersive environment. Ben Lomond isn’t just the house, it also has restored slave quarters, smokehouse, dairy, and an antique rose garden.
What You Can Do
There’s a little bit of everything for eager hands and minds to work on at Ben Lomond. There are three different gardens, including a kitchen herb garden, the slave quarters vegetable garden, and the antique rose garden to engage with your particular interest in gardening! If you like to weed and water, we can always use your help with all three.
Becoming an interpretive guide is a very people-focused visitor opportunity! If you’re passionate about history and really like to share it with folks, this will be a rewarding position! Working with site staff, you will conduct guided tours of the historic site during special events or on regularly scheduled tour days. Guides can also help staff with activities like field trips, special tours, or other events throughout the year. Ben Lomond has a lot of field trips and bus tours!
If you have any skills or interests you think would be a good fit for Ben Lomond that we didn’t mention, feel free to mention them when you apply! We’re happy to find something that suits your abilities and needs as best we can.
What to Expect After You Apply
Once your background check clears, you should expect an email from the division volunteer coordinator with a more detailed interests and availability form. Depending on the season and site needs, there may not be volunteer hours immediately available.
If you have any requirements for service hours or have any accommodation needs for volunteering, please let us know when you apply.
This listing is for adult volunteers only. If you are under the age of 18, please check out the Junior Preservationist listing here.
