WILMINGTON -- The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of North Carolina (NSCDA-NC) has launched a new internship at its headquarters and flagship museum house, the Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens. The NSCDA-NC created the Mary Bason Broadfoot Summer Internship to provide an on-the-job educational experience for students in museum studies or library science.

The NSCDA-NC chose Allayna Dail, a recent graduate of the University of North Carolina Wilmington, as the first internship recipient. Dail, who received her B.A. in History in May, plans to pursue a Masters degree at UNCW in 2018. After completing her graduate studies, she hopes to pursue a career in museum education and programming.

During her internship, Dail is working on organizing and cataloging the newly created Nimocks Special Collections, an archive and library with hundreds of documents, books, photographs and items chronicling the activities of the NSCDA-NC since its formation in 1894. The NSCDA-NC owns four historic houses in North Carolina. The Nimocks Special Collections contains records of the actions taken to save these properties, as well as of the participation of NC Dames in the Society’s other mission areas of education and patriotic service.

Historians and other scholars will be able to access the special collections for research purposes. Museum Director Christine Lamberton, who oversees the internship program, says that the archive contains a wealth of source materials that illuminate the history of the Lower Cape Fear and of North Carolina.

“It also provides insights into the grass root efforts of women’s organizations, such as the NSCDA-NC, in establishing the field of historic preservation,” Lamberton said.

The internship is funded by a gift from Mary Broadfoot Ivie, made in honor of her late mother Mary Bason Broadfoot, for whom the internship is named. Ivie is a member of the NSCDA-NC, as was her mother. Broadfoot also served as the nonprofit organization’s president from 1979 to 1984.

The NSCDA-NC is part of a national association dedicated to promoting appreciation for the people, places and events that led to the formation and development of our country. The NC Society saved the colonial-era Burgwin-Wright House from the wrecking ball in 1937 and opened its doors to the public as a museum in 1951. For more information about the mission and accomplishments of the NSCDA-NC, visit ncdames.org.

Note: The Wilmington Star News published this story online on Tuesday, August 8, 2017 and in the print edition on August 9, 2017.

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