Volunteer

Volunteers help us fulfill our mission of bringing together individuals with a shared love for history to engage and educate visitors on colonial life in North Carolina and our port city. Their commitment and expertise is an integral part of what keeps the museum’s door open to the public.

There are many opportunities for volunteers to help the Burgwin-Wright House carry out its mission. To get involved, email [email protected] or call 910-762-0570.

Volunteer opportunities include:

Interpreter— learn a script and lead tours

Host—Greet visitors and assist in the visitor center

Gardener —work in our gardens alongside the garden committee chair

Costumer — hand sew costumes, aprons, etc.

Researcher— conduct research, assist in the archives. 

Special events— assist staff during special events like gallery shows, lecture series & Holiday Open House.

Meet our Volunteers

Rick Morrison is a retired naval officer and a recent UNCW graduate with a bachelor of history. Rick holds additional degrees in health care administration, management, and national security and strategic studies. He has a strong interest in the history of the Lower Cape Fear region of North Carolina and currently works as an volunteer interpreter at the Burgwin-Wright House and the Fort Fisher Historic Site. 

John Almeida is a retired high school science teacher.  He and his wife moved to Leland, NC from Rhode Island four years ago. John loves spending time with family, going to their grandkid's events, and in general watching them grow up into fine young adults.  In his spare time here in NC, John volunteers cooking lunch for the homeless and homeless Vets; and especially enjoys being an interpreter for the Burgwin-Wright House as well as another historic home in Wilmington. John also likes pickleball, kayaking, activities with neighborhood friends, sightseeing, and our wonderful beaches.

Julie Tyslan, her father, and her husband moved to Wilmington in 2016 following her retirement after serving 30 years in the United States Navy as an officer in the Nurse Corps, and later as a civilian hospice nurse. To keep busy and exercise her mind, she started giving tours at the Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens in 2022, as well as another historic property in Wilmington.  In addition to volunteering, she enjoys spoiling her 2-year-old grandson, cooking, baking, sewing, raising Monarch butterflies, and supporting her husband’s acting career.  

Chuck Dombroski is a retired Federal employee with 38 years’ experience in the field of research and analysis, including management of large teams and task forces of targeted researchers. He particularly enjoys public speaking and teaching, whether it be professional briefings to high-level government officials or teaching Biblical courses in church settings. Newly relocated to the Wilmington area with his wife and son, Mr. Dombroski is exploring the rich history of the southeast North Carolina region. He is an avid stamp collector, landscape gardener, and is currently documenting the history attached to an inherited Civil War era officer's telescope.

Sally Morgan is a native North Carolinian, who has retired to Leland. She is a retired nurse, whose passions include history, cross stitch, reading historical fiction and spending time with her cat, Sadie. To keep engaged, she volunteers with the Burgwin-Wright House, and sings with her church choir and Sea Notes, the Brunswick Choral Society.

Ein Dawson is a lifelong history buff with a special interest in Colonial and Civil War History. She grew up in the Midwest and then spent over 40 years in Southern California with her husband, raising their two children and teaching both in elementary school and adult education. A retirement move to Wilmington in 2018 gave her the perfect opportunity to pursue her passion for history as a tour guide at the Burgwin-Wright House and Poplar Grove Plantation. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, reading all things history (including historical fiction), and needlepoint.

Kory Seri is a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico.  As a young adult, she moved to Southern California where she worked as a certified Spanish interpreter for the judicial system for over thirty years. She relocated to North Carolina three years ago and is currently a docent at Poplar Grove Historic House and most recently began giving tours at the Burgwin Wright House. A lifelong fan of history, particularly U.S.Colonial and Civil War history, Kory loves to spend her weekends visiting historical places all along the East Coast. In her spare time, she enjoys sewing period costumes, reading and spending time with her family.