By Allison Hillman

I am doing my summer internship at Minute Man National Historical Park in Concord MA for the summer. I am a historic interpreter and ranger here. I was supposed to start on May 19 originally, but due to paperwork issues, that got pushed up to May 31st. Because I was already there, I just decided to volunteer for 11 days to get started and do some training.  For training, they had us shadow ranger tours of various places in the park which we will be stationed at later. I have spent most of my time at Minute Man Visitor’s Center in Lexington.  So far, my favorite parts of being a ranger here is swearing in junior rangers which are kids from the ages of 4-12 and B.A.R.K rangers. Here are a few pics of our cutest B.A.R.K rangers. Needless to say, this job is awesome.

Figure 1: B.A.R.K. Rangers

Weeks 1-2
The first few weeks here I spent training and exploring the park, but I also had to get settled in the home provided on site for me and three other interns. It is a three story farmhouse that is, if I say so myself, pretty amazing. To make it better, it stands overlooking a Revolutionary War battlefield. It is crazy to think that our front yard is something so historically significant. Every morning, I look out my bedroom window towards the field and think about the events that took place there on April 19, 1775.

Figure 2: Three Story Farmhouse Overlooking a Revolutionary War Battlefield

The picture on the bottom left was taken the first night I arrived. I was standing in the front yard, late at night. There was a full moon, coyotes were howling in the distance, and fog began to slowly roll in. It was eerie, yet breathtaking. The picture on the right was taken a few weeks later on a stormy day, and I thought the clouds were beautiful. I’m incredibly lucky to be in such a gorgeous place.

 

Figure 3: This location is gorgeous and the natural landscape changes regularly

The Last Few Weeks
I have started to get into the rhythm of things here, which is nice. I am looking forward to the black powder musket training we will have this coming week. However, this last week has been a hard one for the people here at Minute Man. A ranger named George Chan
passed away on Monday. He was 85 and had worked for Minute Man for over 20 years. George proudly served in the US Navy, USNR, and the US Air Force Reserve before retiring with the rank of Captain. He was a wonderful coworker, a kind man, and a fantastic interpreter and friend. We will miss him dearly.

Figure 4: In remembrance of George Chan, 85, who served Minute Man for over 20 years.

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