"The first day proved intimidating. I found myself consumed by thousands of artifacts in the archival room, and all of these historical "beings" contained stories for me to hear. The intimidation did not last long because my goal as an intern was to help and preserve the past for future generations. Preservation became my fuel for action and education. Cataloging relics proved to be intriguing, for my eyes became accustomed to the sight of artillery shell but not the sight of poker chips or padlocks. These relics were great pieces of conversation."Curious about the numerous arrow heads I found, I asked Paul for more details. He explained to me the history behind the object and how it pertained to the archival collection at the Gettysburg National Military Park. Moments like this made me realize that I was making a difference. The arrowhead aided in the explanation of history due to my curiosity. As an intern, I aided in the preservation of this object’s history and allowed for future generations to be curious. Although, I must say I was constantly surprised my own curiosity, as it occurred when I least expected it.
"One day while working with the photographs, I came across a picture of the seasonal staff from 1970. I am not quite sure what made me instantly fall in love with the snapshot, but I did nonetheless. I felt like I was a part of something greater than myself. Almost 40 years ago, individuals like me where doing what I was doing at the moment- history. I was preserving it and they were too, and in 2009, I was preserving their actions of preservation. History, like that photograph is timeless, and my internship allowed me to preserve their immortal existence (both the photograph and history)."I am ever thankful for my experience, too often I have underestimated the stories objects have to tell, but because of my archival internship, that mistake will never be made again."
-Samantha Smith, Gettysburg Semester 2009
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