Colonial Williamsburg Research Division Web Site

Internship Program

Advanced undergraduates and graduate students are invited to apply for internships in Colonial Williamsburg’s Department of Archaeological Research during the academic calendar year and the summer. Here, in one of the largest and oldest living history museums, archaeologists and other scholars are engaged in projects related to colonial historical archaeology, including landscape reconstruction, African-American archaeology, environmental archaeology, comparative colonialism, foodways, animal husbandry, and material life.

Colonial Williamsburg provides opportunities for interns to study the material life of the late seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. Additionally, more than forty years of archaeological excavation within Williamsburg’s Historic Area have produced an extensive database from which CAD-based analyses (integrating archaeological, historical, and map data) and environmental studies (based on pollen, parasites, phytoliths, and macrobotanical and faunal remains) are continually generated. Interns are encouraged to join in this effort to chronicle the growth and diversification of Virginia’s colonial capital.

Program Details: Programs vary depending on your interest and work currently being undertaken by the department.; Generally, two tracks are offered. Interns may work alongside professionals to learn excavation techniques, to conduct documentary research, to develop collections management skills, or to identify and analyze artifacts, faunal remains, or archaeobotanical remains. Alternatively, students in residence can complete a more focused research project, for which they receive credit from the institution in which they are enrolled.; Click here for more information about General Program Areas.

Applications: Applications will be accepted at any time. After your application has been reviewed, you will be notified in writing. Individuals should apply to the Department of Archaeological Research, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.; Include with a completed application form a current resume and two letters of recommendation. If academic credit is a goal, then at least one reference must be from a current professor at the institution in which you are enrolled.; Mail applications to:
Financial Support: Generally internships are not funded, although grants and specific donations occasionally provide funding.
Housing: Interns will be provided information on low-cost housing.
Credit: While Colonial Williamsburg does not grant academic credit, many schools offer credit for internships. Check with your institution.
Additional Information: For additional information, contact Marley R. Brown III at mbrown2@cwf.org or by phone at 757-220-7331.