At Gunston Hall, volunteers make a major impact in a number of areas, including leading students on school tours, helping to maintain our historic garden, participating in archaeology digs, supporting special events, and working on projects in the library and archives. See descriptions of our volunteer opportunities below.

Volunteers for the opportunities listed below must be over 17 years old. Our Young Historic Interpreters program is our volunteer program for youth, aged 8-16 years old – please visit the Youth Volunteering page for information on the program and how to apply.

We currently have volunteer opportunities available in the school tour docent program, gardening, special events, and archaeology.

Gunston Hall volunteers may volunteer in more than one area, and prospective volunteers can express interest in multiple areas in the volunteer application.

How to Apply:

To apply to be a volunteer at Gunston Hall, please complete the application by clicking the button below.

Once we receive your completed application, a member of Gunston Hall staff will e-mail you to set up a time to meet for a brief interview.

Please contact [email protected] with any questions.

Types of Volunteer Opportunities

Special Events

Volunteers support many of Gunston Hall’s special programs and events throughout the year, including Declaration Day, Cocktails by Candlelight: The Series, Summer Saturdays, and Christmastide, helping ensure that these programs operate smoothly, are enjoyable for all of our visitors, and support our mission. Volunteer activities for special events include running activities, serving food and drink, hearth cooking, set up and clean up, and more.

Gardening

Volunteers in the Gunston Hall riverside garden help us maintain a garden that actively grows flowers, herbs, and produce which were familiar in Virginia gardens in the 18th century. Garden volunteers support the Riverside Garden year-round. During the spring, summer and fall, volunteers take part in planting, harvesting, weeding, deadheading, and more. During the winter, volunteers contribute to preparations for the upcoming cultivation year. Shifts are available Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings, and training is on the job.

Volunteers on Tuesday shifts throughout the growing season may also support Gunston Hall’s food donation program by delivering food harvested from the riverside garden to the food bank at the Lorton Community Action Center.

School Tour Docent Program

Gunston Hall is proud to host thousands of students on field trips every year and volunteer docents are integral to school tours! Volunteer docents lead interactive tours, helping students explore the mansion, the kitchen yard, and the schoolhouse, to learn about George Mason, American rights, slavery, and other aspects of colonial Virginia. Hearth cooking, storytelling, and costumed character portrayals are all options for docents.

These tours usually occur on weekday mornings during the school year. New docents attend weekly training sessions on Wednesdays from November through March, 9:00 to 1:00 (with gap weeks around the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year holidays). The training schedule is built with the understanding that new docents may miss some sessions because of other commitments. Training covers historic content, techniques for engaging students, managing groups, and practice and partner tours. No prior experience teaching students in necessary.

The next training course is scheduled to begin Wednesday, November 5th, 2025. Docents also become members of the Gunston Hall Docents’ Association, and through that group, they have the opportunity to participate in monthly enrichment programs.

Archaeology

Gunston Hall’s active archaeology program helps us learn more about the many people who lived here in the past. Volunteers help in the field, uncovering history by methodically searching for historical objects buried on the Gunston Hall property. Volunteers also help process items discovered at the dig site. Archaeology volunteers work under the supervision of the staff archaeologist.

This opportunity is available Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday, between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Volunteers choose their own hours and may help for a partial day, full day, or more than one day a week. The field season runs from the first part of April until mid-December. The remainder of the year is spent processing artifacts in the archaeology lab. Training is on-the-job, and all equipment is provided.

Library and Archives

*We do not currently have any available volunteer opportunities in the library and archives. Opportunities may arise in the future.

Volunteers help answer researcher questions, process material, work with the collections database, read historical documents, and contribute to historical research projects. This is a weekday activity. Training is arranged on an individual basis.

Volunteer Benefits

We are so thankful to our volunteers and the many ways they contribute to Gunston Hall.  All of our active volunteers receive the following benefits:

• An individual membership to Gunston Hall, which allows the volunteer unlimited house tours and access to the grounds year-round, and discounted admission to special programs and events
• 6 free guest passes annually
• Free admission to events they volunteer for
• 10% museum shop discount

If you would like more information about volunteering at Gunston Hall, please email us at [email protected].