Arlington House

The Robert E. Lee Memorial

National Park Service

US Department of the Interior

Junior Ranger Activity Book

This book belongs to:

EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICATM
Welcome

Welcome to Arlington House, 

The Robert E. Lee Memorial

A memorial is a place where we remember and honor a person 

or something important that happened in our history. Robert E. 

Lee was a confederate general in the American Civil War. The Civil 

War divided the United States: the Confederacy (southern states) 

fought against the Union (northern states). After the war, Robert 

E. Lee helped bring the United States together again. The Robert 

E. Lee Memorial exists because of what he did after the Civil War.

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How to become a Junior Ranger

Ages 5 - 6, check here and complete at least 3 activities

Ages 7 - 10, check here and complete at least 6 activities

Ages 10 and up, check here and complete 9 activities

Become a Junior Ranger

White

Parlor

Hunting

Hall

Center

Hall

Store

Room

Morning

Room

Office

and

Studio

Conservatory Dining

Room

Guest

Chamber

Inner Hall

Mr. and Mrs.

Custis’ Chamber

School and

Sewing Room

Bath and

Water Closet

Outer Hall

Pantry

Summer Kitchen/

George Clark’s

quarters

Selina Gray’s

quarters

Family

Parlor

PORTICO

Entrance

North Wing

Entrance

Black History

Exhibit

Answers can be found throughout the house and grounds, 

and by asking rangers and volunteers.

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A Presidential Family

Portico

Arlington House was built by a man named George Washington 

Parke Custis. Can you guess who he was named after? His father 

died when Custis was just a baby so he and his sister Nelly grew 

up at Mount Vernon with their grandmother, Martha Washington 

and his step-grandfather and hero, George Washington. They 

became a close family. At Mount Vernon, Custis was called Washy. 

Fill in the names of each person in the family.

William Lee 

(Washington’s valet)

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Custis built Arlington House and filled it with things from the life 

of George Washington. People came from all over the world to 

remember and honor the first president.

Who is your hero?

Why?

Portico

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Draw a picture of what the 

monument or memorial to 

your hero would look like:
Family Parlor

The Custis and Lee families enjoyed spending time in the Family 

Parlor. Today this room would be called the living room. The 

family prayed together and read the Bible in this room every 

morning and evening. They also sang songs, made art and wrote 

letters here. The picture above the fireplace is of a young Mrs. 

Lee. Why do you think she is holding a green parrot? (Hint: Look 

at the opposite page)

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Family Parlor

A Symbol of Family

Relatives of both the Lee and Custis families 

came to America from Europe over 400 years 

ago. Back then, families had often had a crest

that represented their family.

The Lee crest includes 

the motto Ne Incautus 

Futuri which is Latin and 

means Never Unmindful 

of the Future. 

Why do you think there 

is a squirrel holding an acorn on the crest? 

(Hint: What do squirrels do with acorns 

and why?)

Draw a crest that represents 

your family here. Think about 

what values are important to 

you. Is there an animal that 

would symbolize your family?

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Dining Room

This family always ate their meals together. Lee often cut 

roses from the garden and placed them beside his wife’s and 

daughters’ plates. The younger women received smaller buds and 

the older women got large flowers in full bloom. The plates you 

see on the table today belonged to the Washingtons. Mrs. Lee 

could not take them with her when she fled her home, so she 

entrusted them to an enslaved woman named Selina Gray. If you 

were Selina or Mrs. Lee, what would you save from this house? 

Draw the objects below.

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Dining Room

Let’s Get Cooking!

Many of the foods we enjoy today were far more difficult to

find in the 1850s. A plantation like Arlington relied on its gardens 

and what could be obtained from day trips into the city to supply 

the kitchen. Write down the foods you have eaten today in the 

box below. Circle the food you think the Lees would have eaten.

In the 1850s, food was prepared by following receipts; today we 

call them recipes. Try this Civil War-era receipt at home with a 

parent.

Cream shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add applesauce and 

mix well. Add sifted dry ingredients and blend. Drop by heaping 

tablespoon on to greased cookie sheets. Flatten and sprinkle with 

sugar. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes (they will not brown).

Apple Sauce Cookies

2 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/3 cups shortening

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup applesauce

6 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp salt

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Center Hall

Look outside and try to imagine 

what it looked like before it 

was a cemetery and before 

Washington, DC was built. This 

land was where the Lee children 

and their friends learned and 

played. 

When Robert E. Lee was home, he loved to play outside with his 

children. He taught them to ride ponies, ice skate, swim, and fish 

in the river. They built tree houses in the woods. The family was 

very close. Complete the word search below.

A Family at Play

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Center Hall

There are unpainted sections of the walls in Arlington House. The 

National Park Service left these unpainted to show graffiti left 

by Civil War soldiers. Graffiti for the Civil War soldiers was a lot 

like posting a status update on social media today. It was a way 

soldiers said, “I was here.” 

Why does the National Park Service protect graffiti from the 

Union soldiers, but does not allow you to sign your name on the 

walls? 

Leave your mark above. Think about what message you would 

leave to friends and future generations.

Leave Your Mark

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Second Floor

The Lee children shared rooms, sometimes with friends and 

cousins. At night, the kids loved to crawl into bed with Dad and 

listen to the sounds of frogs, crickets, and owls. Lee told them 

stories about his adventures in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

If you were planning a sleepover at Arlington, where would you 

assign the Lees? There are 4 Lee girls, 3 boys, 1 girl cousin, and 

two parents that need rooms and beds. Label each room, some 

might have to share!

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Garden

The Kingdom of My Childhood

The Lee family loved to garden. The flower garden was a special 

place for Mrs.. Lee, her mother, and her four daughters. Each of 

the four Lee girls had her own small garden. Mrs.. Lee loved all 

flowers, but liked her rose garden best.

Walk through the flower garden, located on the south side of 

Arlington House. Trace the path you took on the map below.

In the 1850s, mostly women gardened. Today, both men and 

women enjoy working in the dirt. Do you have a garden at 

home? Draw some plants you grow, or would like to, on the map 

above.

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North Slave Quarters

The Working Yard

There were over 60 enslaved people at Arlington House. Go to 

the North Slave Quarters and read about their daily lives. Write 

an F next to statements of those who worked in the field, and an 

H next to ones of those in the house.

I close up the house every night at 10 p.m.

I am a nurse for the Lee children.

I plow the fields and plant oats and corn.

I get to eat some of the leftovers from the Lee family meals.

I live in the log cabins down by the river.

I wear old clothes from the Lee family.

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South Slave Quarters

When slavery ended, many enslaved people stayed in Arlington, 

or went to live in Freedman’s Village. While there, they learned 

the skills they needed to start a new life after the war. Go to the 

South Slave Quarters and read the stories of some of the people 

who were displaced after the war. 

Whose story did you find inspirational and why? 

What job would you like to do in Freedman’s Village?

Selina Gray and her 

family lived in the 

South Slave Quarters.

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Cemetery

The Lee family left Arlington House in 1861 and never returned. 

Many changes occured here during the Civil War. Slaves were 

freed, Robert E. Lee became a confederate general, and Arlington 

House was occupied by the Union Army. However, the biggest 

change came in 1864...

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Cemetery

Many people died in the Civil War and by 1863 most cemeteries 

in DC were full. Union General Montgomery Meigs ordered 

his men to find land for a new national military cemetery. The 

Arlington Estate was chosen for its ideal location and significance 

as the former home of General Lee. 1864 marked the first military 

burials in what is now Arlington National Cemetery. 

A National Cemetery

In 1866, Meigs ordered that 2,111 unknown soldiers be buried 

behind Mrs Lee’s Rose garden. Find the Tomb of the Civil War 

Unknowns. What do you think the 4 buried cannons that 

originally surrounded it meant?

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Volunteer!

Arlington House is run with the help of many volunteers. Look at 

the jobs below and circle one that you would be good at.

As part of the Victorian 

Dance Society, we dance 

at special Arlington House 

events.

I help in the garden and grow 

food for the Arlington Food 

Assistance Center.

I teach visitors about the 

history of Arlington House.

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Ranger Pledge

As a Junior Ranger, I promise to help preserve Arlington House, 

The Robert E. Lee Memorial, so that some day my children can visit 

here also. 

As I grow up, I will learn about the heritage of the United States 

and visit other National Parks. I will live by the motto: 

Explore, Learn, Protect

Find a Ranger to receive your official Junior 

Ranger Badge or mail your completed 

book to the address below:

George Washington Memorial Parkway

Attention: Arlington House

700 Turkey Run Park

McLean, VA 22101

Please include your 

name and mailing 

address where you 

would like your 

Junior Ranger Badge 

to be sent.

You’ve Earned It!

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Certificate of Achievement

Has completed all the requirements to 

receive a Junior Ranger badge and has 

pledged to live by the Junior Ranger Motto: 

Explore, Learn, Protect

Ranger Date