This summer, the Warren County Historical Society’s internship program was a resounding success, thanks to the hard work and dedication of interns Ryan Marino, Cricket Brandstrom, and Sydnie Cochran. These three individuals played a crucial role in advancing the society’s mission by engaging with the public, indexing new artifacts, and scanning photographs for multiple collections.
Ryan Marino, a senior studying secondary education with a focus on social studies at Slippery Rock University, spent his summer meticulously sorting through a recent donation of Beaty estate artifacts. This donation included over three dozen boxes of ledgers, journals, documents, and images, which Marino worked diligently to organize and catalog.
Cricket Brandstrom, a recent graduate of Eisenhower High School, will be attending Marist College in Florence, Italy, to study art history. During her internship, Brandstrom successfully indexed several National Forge employee ledgers and installed the Joanie Phelps exhibit at the Wilder Museum. She also began the process of indexing and scanning the society’s Personal Photograph collection.
Sydnie Cochran, a nursing student entering her sophomore year at Pitt Johnstown, focused her efforts on indexing and labeling the C.W. Stone Collection and began work on the Portrait Collection. Cochran also worked in the archives at the museum and played a key role in installing the Joanie Phelps exhibit.
In addition to their individual projects, the interns also engaged with the public, greeting visitors and answering questions with professionalism and enthusiasm. They even led a tour for YMCA summer campers, treating the group to a fun-filled scavenger hunt through the museum.
Funding for the internship program was made possible through Warren Gives, the Jane Walker Kopf trust, and other generous donors. The Warren County Historical Society board of directors, staff, and volunteers extend their gratitude to these donors for their support of this valuable program.
Overall, the summer internship program at the Warren County Historical Society was a great success, thanks to the hard work and dedication of Ryan Marino, Cricket Brandstrom, and Sydnie Cochran. Their contributions have helped to further the society’s mission of preserving and sharing the rich history of Warren County.