JOB
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
Seasonal
Historic Interpreter
in
Cass, West Virginia
The deadline for receiving applications for the 2008 season is Thursday, April 17, 2008
The Mountain State Railroad & Logging
Historical Association
(MSR&LHA) hires two seasonal employees who conduct historic
tours
in the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park during the Park's operating
season (Memorial Day through the end of October). These
positions, called Interpreters, are normally filled by
college students or
retirees. Employees who can work for the entire season are
preferred, but summer-only applications are welcome. The
number of hours per week is reduced after Labor Day.
Primary Functions:
- Provide
interpretation and tours for Park visitors. These include
walking tours of the town of Cass, tours of the locomotive and
restoration shops, and tours of the recreated logging camp at Whittaker
Station.
- Oversee and monitor
the Kyle J. “Catty” Neighbors Memorial Lumber
Museum in Cass.
-
Provide occasional
special tours and programs for groups.
-
Prepare occasional
printed background material to distribute to Park visitors.
Work To
Be Performed:
- Participate in and
satisfactorily complete Interpreter training, demonstrating content
knowledge and ability to interpret to the public using a variety of
techniques. This will include preparatory reading of
assigned text and other documents.
-
Conduct public
interpretation, talks, tours, and educational programs as identified on
a pre-determined schedule. This is the primary responsibility of the
Interpreter and will consume the majority of the assigned time.
- Insure that all
tours and programs are conducted in a safe manner for all visitors and
that the Whittaker site is free of any potential safety hazards.
- Maintain daily
program attendance records and report these to MSR&LHA on a
monthly schedule.
-
Perform light
maintenance at the Whittaker site to insure the daily cleanliness and
safety of the site. This will generally be limited to trash pick-up.
The Park Superintendent should be notified if any maintenance needs to
be undertaken to insure the safety of visitors.
Work
Standards:
- You represent the
public face of the Association and the Park. You must work
efficiently, professionally, and courteously with the wide range of
visitors including individuals and groups.
-
You must work in
professional collaboration with various members of the Park staff and
members of the MSR&LHA.
-
You must be able to
work alone, be organized, and have self-discipline.
- You must communicate
and conduct yourself in a friendly/hospitable manner.
- Represent the
Association and the Park in a professional manner and actively support
the goals of the Association and the Park.
-
Maintain a
professional standard in appearance, work surroundings, materials
produced, and work accomplished.
Supervision
& Scheduling:
- This position is
with the Mountain State Railroad & Logging Historical
Association, but daily supervision and scheduling will be done by the
Park Superintendent.
-
The normal workweek
consists of 5 days, 8 hours per day.
-
Interpreters will be
assigned to various tasks (conducting town and shop tours, narrating on
the train, or overseeing the Cass Historic Museum) for 5 days per week,
rotating between the on-train and town assignments, and be scheduled to
provide 7 day
coverage between the two interpreters. Two days off per week will
usually, but not always, be
consecutive and will normally not include Saturday or Sunday.
- Specific daily
schedule will be developed in conjunction with the Interpreters to meet
needs of visitor, park, and interpretive programming.
- Hours will be
scheduled to meet visitor and programming needs; generally 9:00 am to
5:00 pm. Hours could include evenings to accommodate special programs
or tours; i.e. charter groups, dinner trains, presentations, etc.
Salary:
Interpreters will receive a
salary
generally ranging from $6.75 to $7.50 per hour depending on
qualifications and experience.
Checks will be issued bi-weekly for time worked during the previous two
weeks.
Housing:
Housing will be
provided in a historic house in Cass at no cost. Each interpreter will
have an
individual bedroom. Kitchen and bath facilities will be
shared. Volunteers from MSR&LHA will also share the
house on a few weekends to do work in the Park. The house has satellite TV, a computer,
and a high-speed internet connection.
Qualifications:
Experience is preferred, but not
required, in researching, developing,
and presenting interpretive programs; ability to communicate orally and
in a public setting; ability to work with various ages and learning
styles. An interest and experience in public history programming,
museum
studies, industrial history, cultural and social history, timber
industry, and/or industrial technology of the early 20th Century is an
advantage.
Position requires a willingness to work outdoors and walk considerable
distances unassisted, and maintain a neat, professional appearance.
Interview:
Interviews will be conducted
with qualified candidates, after review of
applications, by the superintendent of the park or his designate, and a
representative of MSR&LHA. Interviews may be
conducted by phone. Letter of application must be accompanied by
written evidence of related experience, interest, and at least three
references.
Academic Credit:
It may be possible for
Interpreters to obtain academic credit for an additional project done
during the summer. This might include research on relevant topics and
producing a report and/or other documents or a collection of oral
histories. Other possibilities include developing a proposal for a
focused guided tour, children’s programming, or undertaking
restoration work on Whittaker-based equipment and producing reports
and/or related documentation of work accomplished, procedures, etc. Any
project undertaken for academic credit must fulfill requirements as
approved by the Interpreter’s affiliated educational
institution. Specific project(s) will be determined before the
Interpreter begins work and after assessment of the needs of the
Interpreter, the Association and the interpretive program. Specific
project(s) will be assigned and monitored by a representative of the
MSR&LHA in conjunction with the Interpreter’s
academic advisor.
Organizational
information:
The Mountain State Railroad
& Logging
Historical Association was founded in 1982 and is a 501(c)(3)
non-profit, all volunteer, organization. Its base of operations is
located at the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park. The Association is
dedicated to research, collection, preservation and publication on all
aspects related to West Virginia logging and railroad operations,
including the restoration of equipment and structures. The Association,
with members around the world, is the largest Foundation associated
with a West Virginia State Park. The Association’s Web site
is www.msrlha.org.
The Cass Scenic
Railroad State Park is situated in the rugged Allegheny
Mountains along the historic Greenbrier River in Pocahontas County,
West Virginia. The Park owns and operates the largest
collection of Shay geared steam logging engines in the world. The
collection of geared locomotives also includes a Heisler and a very
rare, three-truck Climax (currently being restored for service). Geared
steam locomotives were designed to operate on steep mountain
grades, such as the 5-9% grades found at Cass. The historic
town of Cass, founded in 1901, was a "company town" built operated
by the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company. The streets are lined with
identical wooden houses and wooden sidewalks. The company produced wood
pulp for paper, and lumber from logs cut in the surrounding
forests. The Park’s Web site is
www.cassrailroad.com.
For
more information:
All inquires should be directed
to Bob Hoke, 6304 Kaybro
St., Laurel
MD 20707; phone: 1-866-795-2607 (toll-free); e-mail: job@msrlha.org.
