Get involved with an icon of Milwaukee’s History!
For students, getting involved at the mansion teaches about the role that public history has in our society today, as well as gaining experience in organization, public speaking, communication, and leadership! Working closely with volunteers and staff alike is a great resume builder and networking opportunity.
Some of the roles we offer at The Pabst Mansion are:
- Docent (Tour Guide) - These are the facilitators of the house to our guests. Training takes six weeks, and is the most intensive (and rewarding) volunteer opportunity. The mansion hosts visitors from all over the world and they are fascinated with the Pabst family and Milwaukee’s history, as well as the architecture and woodwork of the house. During the holidays (Nov 18-Jan 15) this entails working stations throughout the house answering questions about rooms. All other times of the year it involves giving guided tours to our guests. Tours leave every hour from 10am-3pm.
- Docent Assistant (Greeter & Usher) - This role is a wonderful way to contribute to the mansion without having to go through the rigorous training that our Docents must complete. The role of “usher” is simply to help with the flow of groups during regular season, hourly tours. This is an especially important role today because of the large numbers of visitors the mansion receives. It is also a great opportunity to learn all about the house during the tours you are aiding, and translate that into answering question, and possibly becoming a docent at a later date. Ushers then translate into “greeters” during the holiday season, and are a friendly face to visitors after they have purchased their tickets. The function is to give those guests a self guide pamphlet as well as present the museum’s rules as they come in for their visit.
- Pavilion Volunteer (Gift Shop & Admission Sales) – This is a retail role. It involves knowing a bit about the mansion and the pavilion in order to answer questions, but it is important as well to inform the guests about the tour times, prices and their options for visiting. These volunteers are also trained in admission and gift shop sales. This opportunity allows those individuals to develop skills that they may use later on in a professional setting, be it history, public history, or otherwise.
If any or all of these volunteer roles seem of interest, please contact:
Joshua Fundell
Volunteer Coordinator
Captain Frederick Pabst Mansion, Inc.
2000 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53233
(P)414.931.0808, ext.111 /(F)414.931.1005
www.pabstmansion.com
