The summer between my freshman year and my sophomore year, I volunteered at the Ansel B. Cook House & Museum in Libertyville, Illinois.

Established in 1955, the Ansel B. Cook House is run by the Libertyville-Mundelein Historical Society collects and preserves historical material and information relative to Libertyville, Mundelein and surrounding areas in Lake County, Illinois.

The Ansel B. Cook House, originally built in 1878, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is home to the society’s archives and Victorian museum.

While I was there I helped clean and preserve items that have been donated or that were in storage and help the curator determine which items should be retained for display or sold.