At Reconstruction Era National Historical Park in Beaufort, South Carolina, Julia Ciccone ’28 is applying her knowledge of public history to immerse visitors in the stories of Reconstruction-era America this summer. The opportunity is made possible through the Brian C. Pohanka Internship Program and the Gettysburg College Civil War Institute (CWI).
When Julia Ciccone ’28 greets visitors to Reconstruction Era National Historical Park in Beaufort, South Carolina, she always begins with a smile and a story. As a summer park intern, Ciccone is helping National Park Service (NPS) staff interpret the people, places, and events that shaped American history from 1861 to 1900.
Ciccone, a history major and public history minor from Lawrenceville, New Jersey, said the internship enables her to connect her history studies at Gettysburg College with a real-world, hands-on experience in public history.
At the park, Ciccone is developing a guided walking tour profiling women during Reconstruction and a script for a self-guided audio tour for the NPS app. “When I came to Reconstruction Era National Historical Park, I was able to collect a lot of different stories, and I thought, ‘I could make a whole program out of this,’” she said.
Her summer internship is made possible through the Brian C. Pohanka Internship Program through Gettysburg College’s Civil War Institute (CWI). Ciccone has spent each of the last two summers participating in internships through the Civil War Institute’s Funded Internship Program. During the summer of 2025, she interned at Appomattox Court House National Historical Park in Virginia, where she presented park programs on Reconstruction to visitors.
Ciccone’s experiences through the internship program have been at the heart of her journey to Gettysburg from day one. Upon learning about the internship program during a Get Acquainted Day visit to Gettysburg in spring 2024, Ciccone was eager to hear more. She followed up with the late Peter Carmichael, the CWI’s emeritus director.
“After that phone call with Dr. Carmichael, where he explained the public history program, the Civil War Institute, and the internship program, I put my deposit down,” she said.
Ciccone acknowledges Public History Co-chair and CWI Associate Director Jill Ogline Titus for supporting her academic interests in public history and helping her obtain her internships.
“After that phone call with Dr. Carmichael, where he explained the public history program, the Civil War Institute, and the internship program, I put my deposit down.”
– Julia Ciccone ’28
Through her coursework, Ciccone discovered how Gettysburg could open her mind to seeing things in new ways. Her Pohanka Internship experiences helped connect elements of her history coursework and allowed her to develop her communication skills.
Last spring, Ciccone took The Lives of Objects: Understanding Material Culture, taught by Art and Art History Prof. Rebecca Duffy Stasiunas, which broadened her horizons on history.
“It gave me a challenge—doing something I had never done before, helping me step outside my comfort zone—and made me rethink how I think about things, specifically objects and the ways we can study them,” she said. “Here, in Beaufort, we talk about Sea Island cotton, which was grown here during the Civil War and the Antebellum period. I use a sample of it when presenting programs to visitors to help them connect it back to our programs in unique ways.”
Ciccone is always seeking opportunities to advance her knowledge in public history. To assist her scholarly pursuits, Ciccone applied for and received a generous $25,000 scholarship from the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Ciccone was one of 10 students nationwide studying American history chosen to receive the DAR scholarship, which celebrates America’s 250th anniversary this year.
In her scholarship application, Ciccone explained how Gettysburg College not only introduced her to public history but also enabled her to explore it through several avenues, including coursework and internships.
“I truly believe that the opportunities I have had so far at Gettysburg played a major role in my selection for the scholarship,” she said. “The money I received from the scholarship goes directly to funding my education at Gettysburg. This scholarship will let me advance my education to its fullest potential.”
Put your study of history into action through the Civil War Institute Funded Internship Program.
Related Links:
External Links:
By Michael Vyskocil
Photos submitted by Julia Ciccone ’28
Posted: 07/14/26