By Kelsey Billingsley, Spring 2026
This semester, I did my internship at the Wayne County Museum in Goldsboro, North Carolina. I reported to the Executive Director, assisted community members with historical research, catalogued museum loans and donations, researched background information on exhibits and historical documents, helped install two museum exhibits, helped with a youth event, and directed weekend history related events at the museum in absence of the director. I also responded to emails and phone calls, maintained the museum calendar of events, and responded to rental requests and scheduling. I was also the volunteer coordinator for any and all events at the Museum, so if the Museum was hosting an event, they would let me know how many volunteers they need and what roles they will be doing and then I would find those volunteers.
One of the things I learned was what goes into taking an exhibit down and putting an exhibit up. For example, prior to the previous exhibit, it featured the history of school. So, we had to take all the caps and gowns down and take the yearbooks out of the display cases. We then had to print out all the information for the new display, contact the companies that provided the artifacts, and then set it up how we wanted. It took about two weeks, including the week it took for the schools to come and collect all of their items. I also learned how to contact people and businesses to receive items for a certain museum exhibit. I was taught how to handle clothes and artifacts that are over 100 years old.
I have learned how the board works and what happens when the new board takes over. I never realized that the director and assistant director had to answer to a board of directors. I have loved meeting all the amazing people who have come through or donated items. We have one guy whose wife is the chef at a restaurant downtown and he donated a picture he painted over 50 years ago of himself, Martin Luther King Jr, and Malcolm X.
One of my favorite parts of the internship was helping the community with historical research. I had one man call wanting to know the history of Outlaw Rd, which is a road in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Through research I was able to discover that it was not named for train robbers, but the Outlaw family, one of whom was a Lieutenant in the Revolutionary War. I was also able to trace the family back to 1210 in England. Through research I was able to provide a lot of information for the gentleman. He even wants to come visit the museum soon so that we can discuss it further. I helped another lady look up her great great grandfather who died at the Battle of Antietam. She was looking for a picture to take to honor him this summer I believe as the Battle of Antietam remembers those who were lost. Doing historical research for the community is something I hope to continue doing.
During my internship, I also used PastPerfect to document artifacts. I want to eventually work at the Smithsonian National Museum of History some day, so being able to use the computer system for artifacts would help me reach that goal in the long run. We also received old wills and land grants from another museum. They belonged to people that lived in our town. The oldest is from 1810, so I learned how to properly open them and inspect them. When we displayed them we used white gloves and orange sticks to help. We placed the documents under individual pieces of glass and then put a bigger piece of glass on top to ensure no one touches them or so they do not get damaged.
I learned a lot through my internship from how to process payments to handling artifacts. I will take everything I have learned with me into my future career, but I hope to continue to learn where I am at. On our facebook page, we post a lot of pictures and live feeds, like the recent Veteran’s Event we hosted.
Amaziah Howell Jr display 1st Black Police Officer to the Goldsboro Community.
Fashion from the 1920s and 1950s.
Piece of Limestone from the Pentagon on 9/11 with documents to verify authenticity.
Old wooden street signs, military uniforms, military chest, and a 1852 sewing machine.
