Share Local History as a Docent!

Do you enjoy learning, sharing stories, and connecting with others? The historic Hugh Torance House and Store invites you to join our dedicated team of docents! As a docent, you’ll help bring our site’s history to life by welcoming visitors and guiding tours through our incredibly preserved circa 1779 historic homesite and NC’s oldest standing mercantile store.

The Hugh Torance House and Store, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located at 8231 Gilead Road in Huntersville, NC, is open most Sundays from 1pm-4pm and docents are needed during those times. Occasionally, docents are needed to lead guided tours for school groups and civic organizations during the week.

Why volunteer as a docent?

• Discover fascinating stories about our town’s past.
• Share your love of history with children, families, and community groups.
• Meet a welcoming group of fellow volunteers who share your interests.
• Enjoy the satisfaction of inspiring curiosity and preserving local heritage.

What’s involved?

Docents commit to just one 3-hour shift per month (or more often, if you’d like!) with the following duties:

• Follow a checklist to open the historic site for visitors.
• Greet visitors and check in registered tour guests.
• Guide visitors in small groups along a tour of the site using a provided outline.
• Assist gift shop guests with store item purchases.
• Light housekeeping such as straightening store displays, dusting cobwebs, sweeping leaves off floors and stairways.
• Follow a checklist to close & secure the site.
• Volunteers are highly encouraged to dress in colonial costume attire to help maintain the living history aesthetic of the historic site.

No experience? No problem! We offer training for all new docents, plus ongoing sessions to keep you up to date on new exhibits and research.

Volunteering at the historic Hugh Torance House and Store allows our nonprofit to offer high-quality, engaging experiences that foster community stewardship of local history. Join us to showcase and share the rich history of the Hugh Torance House and Store to ensure its preservation!

We're so excited to volunteer alongside you - Contact us today!

For more info, please contact us at 704-920-9931 or Lauren@HEARTSco.org