The 1719 Museum, 1849 Hans Herr Drive, Willow Street, is looking for volunteers to serve as tour guides for its historic property. The museum will host training sessions every Saturday beginning on Feb. 11 and concluding on March 18, with the exception of Saturday, March 4. The sessions will be held at 9 a.m. at the 1719 Museum as well as Mennonite Life, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster.

"We like to share stories about the area's history," said Lois Miklas, administrator of the 1719 Museum. "We want to get people to think about what it must have been like for the people who first settled here and connect it to their own lives."

There are only a few requirements to attend the classes to become a guide: Tour guides must be at least 18 years old and have the ability to educate small groups of people as they tour the property. Miklas noted that although the location has certain areas that can be physically challenging to navigate, such as narrow spaces and stairs, the museum will accommodate anyone who wishes to become a guide.

"The museum is great for people who like history; they'll get a good dose of history from our local community," said Miklas. The site is open from April until October, and the museum is looking for guides who can commit to providing tours at least one day or one half-day each month.

The 1719 Museum uses trained tour guides to take visitors through its property, which contains the original Hans Herr House, built by Mennonite settlers in 1719. It is the oldest site of Colonial settlement in Lancaster County and was inhabited by Mennonite settlers who traveled from Europe to Philadelphia before finally landing in Lancaster in 1710.

Visitors touring the property will also have an opportunity to see a replica of an indigenous longhouse that would have existed around the year 1650. The longhouse offers guests a view of how Native Americans lived along the Susquehanna before and during Colonial times.

The 1719 Museum also hosts its Maize and Snitz Festival in October each year. The festival celebrates various traditions and customs exhibited by both early American settlers and local indigenous tribes.

"It's important for people to have a sense of what their community's history is, so that they can see how they may be connected to it," Miklas said.

To register for tour guide training classes, visit https://mennonitelife.org/1719-museum/.