National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

www.nps.gov/feha

Federal Hall

National Memorial

THIS BOOK BELONGS TO:

Fill in the 

blanks for 

these 

important 

Federal Hall 

dates!

New York City Hall

______ to ______

Washington Inauguration

______ ___, ______

John Peter Zenger Trial 

___________

U.S. Custom House

___________

U.S. Sub-Treasury

______ to _______

National Memorial

______ to present
Ask a 

Ranger about 

today’s visitor 

programs!

Welcome to Federal Hall!

did you know?

Federal Hall is just one of many National Parks in the United 

States. The National Park Service protects and preserves places 

that are special to the American people.

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____________________________________________________

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Park Rangers care for National Parks. 

Find the panel in the Visitor Center 

with the Junior Park Ranger badge. 

Read the panels around it. Describe

what else a Park Ranger does:

This book is your guide to becoming a 

Junior Park Ranger at Federal Hall. 

To earn your badge:

1 Find your 

age group

2 Complete all of 

the activities for 

your group (or as 

many as you can!)

3 Find a Park Ranger 

to sign your certificate 

and collect your official 

Junior Ranger badge

Let the fun begin!

The Visitor Center in Federal Hall tells the stories of all of the National 

Parks of New York Harbor. There are special panels there just for Junior 

Rangers like you!

Federal Hall is one of nearly 400 National Parks across the country 

and one of 23 special destinations at the 10 National Parks of New York 

Harbor. 

All Ages

Ages 8

& up

Ages 11 

& up

2
From Nieuw-Amsterdam to ‘New York’...

Lower Manhattan has changed a lot since 

1699. Over the years, land was added onto 

the shoreline. Connect the dots around Old 

Manhattan to see how much New 

York has grown.

The first European settlers on Manhattan Island were Dutch. 

They arrived in 1624 and named their city New Amsterdam. 

Find the Gateway to America sign at the entrance to the visitor 

information center. Look at the painting of Nieuw-Amsterdam. 

Describe what you see... 

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The English permanently took over New Amsterdam in 1674 

and renamed the city New York. The city was so small that it 

only covered the very tip of Manhattan! 

The northern border of New York was actually a wall that 

stretched from one end of the island to the other, where 

Wall Street is today. 

Why do you think the settlers built a wall outside their city? 

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Why do you think the wall was torn down? 

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The Trial of John Peter Zenger

did you know?

The first building on this site was New York City Hall. The 

courtroom in the building was used for a very important trial in 

1735. 

Find the words in the word bank. All words are down or across.

Use the leftover letters to spell out an important message.

word bank

ink

paper

print

type

leading

platen

tonkin

news

libel

zenger

cosby

tympan

frisket

puller

beater

f p u l l e r r e e

d l e a d i n g b f

o a m z e n g e r

t t o n k i n k a i

y e o f p r i n t s

m n c o s b y t e k

p a p e r t y r e

a h e p r e s p s t

n l i b e l n e w s

The Zenger case helped to establish

John Peter Zenger was arrested for printing stories the Royal 

Governor didn’t like. His trial proved that printing the truth was 

not against the law.

Vocabulary Alert!

Are there words 

you don’t recognize 

in the word bank? 

Ask a Park Ranger!

The printing press is often referred to as one of the greatest weapons of 

the American Revolution. Have you ever heard the expression ‘the pen 

is mightier than the sword’?

Stories and pictures printed in newspapers helped spread news and 

political opinions. News about American victories in the war built 

support for George Washington and the American cause. 

4
I Spy with Washington’s Spies...

try this later!

New York City was key to the Revolutionary War. In 1776 the 

British took over the City after defeating the Americans in the 

Battle of Brooklyn. The Americans and the British used spies to 

get information during the war. 

The British used a special stencil called a grille to send 

messages. Both sides used different ciphers, or codes, and 

invisible ink.

Read the paragraph. Go to the visitor services desk and ask to 

speak to CULPER-JUNIOR to get your grille. Find the secret 

message to discover where the United States’ first capital was!

What city served as the Nation’s first capital?

Americans gained their Independence 

when the Revolutionary War ended in 1783. 

The Mayor and Governor of New York 

moved back into City Hall, and New York 

patriots moved back into the city. 

In 1787 a new Constitution was written for 

the country. When enough states approved 

of the new government, an official capital city 

needed to be chosen.

George Washington’s spies used invisible ink to send him messages. You 

can make invisible ink at home and send messages like Washington’s 

spies! You will need: Lemon juice, paper, Q-tips, an iron, and an adult.

Write your message with lemon juice and let it dry. Get an adult to iron 

the paper for you. The hot iron will turn the lemon juice brown and 

reveal your message!

5
From City Hall to Federal Hall...

A new system of government was formed in 1787 when the 

Constitution was written. New York City was chosen as the first 

official capital of the United States of America. 

List three differences between the two buildings.

An official capital needs a capitol building. Find the models of 

City Hall and Federal Hall. City Hall was remodeled in 1789 to 

look more impressive. 

1. __________________________________________________

3. __________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________

April 30, 1789 was the first Inauguration Day. George Washington 

took the oath of office on Federal Hall’s balcony.

Go outside and stand by the George Washington statue. How do 

you think Washington felt when he became the first President?

How would you feel?

The Washington Inaugural Bible is over 200 years old! It is still actively 

used by the members of St. John’s Lodge No. One, the oldest operating 

Masonic Lodge in New York State. St. John’s works with the National 

Park Service to protect this important piece of American History. When 

it is not being used by the lodge, it is on semi-permanent display here at 

Federal Hall. The Bible is a King James version that was printed in 1767 

in London, England.

6

did you know? 
Choosing a Capital City...

did you know?

The President, Congress and the Supreme Court work together 

to make sure the country runs smoothly. In 1790, as part of a 

compromise, the capital changed locations. 

Use the map to figure out which cities served as the capital. 

Fill in the missing names and dates.

Where is the capital today?

How many years was Philadelphia the capital?

____ _____ _____

1789–1790

___________ __ __

1800–Present

Philadelphia

____–____

Martha Washington was not present at the first inauguration. She arrived 

in New York a full month after George did because it was her job to pack 

up the household and move it from Mt. Vernon, Virginia.

As the first First Lady, Martha was known as Lady Washington. Foreign 

visitors and Revolutionary War veterans loved her because she had the 

ability to make everyone feel welcome. 

7
A New Gem on Wall Street

Hint: 

Look in the 

Rotunda

In 1811, Federal hall closed its doors for the last time. All of the 

government offices moved away. The building was torn down in 

1812.

You can still see two pieces of the original Federal Hall on display 

here today! Check off the boxes below when you find them:

Even though Federal Hall was gone, New Yorkers knew this area 

was very special. In 1842, the brand-new Custom House was built 

on the site of the old Capitol.

Merchants from all over the world came to the new Custom 

House to pay their taxes on imports.

Railing Stone

An import is 

merchandise 

from another 

country.

Hint: 

Look in the 

Washington 

Inaugural 

Gallery

Find your way 

from the docks 

at South Street 

Seaport to the 

Custom House 

to pay your 

import taxes!

8
Columns, Cornices and Colonnades...

did you know?

The architects who designed the Custom House wanted the 

building to look strong and beautiful at the same time. They 

used elements of Classical architecture from Greek and Roman 

designs.

Match each picture with its description. How 

many can you find in Federal Hall?

Corinthian 

Column

Cornice

Pilaster

Rotunda

Colonnade

A room with a circular plan, 

usually with a dome

An upright post with an 

ornately carved top

A regular series of columns 

creating a line, curve or circle

The top section of moldings 

along a wall or just below a roof

A rectangular support that 

looks like a flat column

check off 

each feature 

as you find it

If you look at the floor of the rotunda, you will see marks on the floor 

where a railing used to be. The desk where you paid your customs stood 

behind the rail.

The floor of the rotunda also has a groove in it running all the way around 

the room. It is the result of thousands of people waiting for their turn at 

the desk!
$220,222,138.01

did you know?

By 1862, the Custom House was too small to handle collecting 

duties on all of the imports coming into New York Harbor. The 

collection agents and vaults moved to a larger building. 

President Abraham Lincoln decided that the old Custom House 

would be a good, strong place to store gold and silver. The 

building was renamed the Federal Sub-Treasury.

The Sub-Treasury closed in 1920. On June 30, 1897 it stored 

$220,238.01 in its vaults!

Complete the table below to find the amount of money stored in 

the vaults...

Vault 1 Vault 2 Vault 3 Vault 4

How many 

bars do you 

see below?

How many bars 

do you have if 

you deposit 3?

How many bars 

are left if you 

take away 5?

If three vaults all 

have the same 

amount inside, 

how much gold 

would you have?

bars

bars

bars

bars

+ –

bars

bars

x

3 vaults

bars

The first green dollar bills 

were printed in the 1860s and 

stored in the Sub-Treasury. 

Today, George Washington 

is on our $1 bill. If you could 

design a dollar bill, who 

would you put on it?

printed August 1, 1862

10
Experience Your America...

try this later!

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Color in the arrowhead when 

you get home! 

The arrowhead is the 

symbol of the National 

Park Service. 

The sequoia tree and the 

bison represent nature, the 

mountains and water 

represent recreation, and 

the arrowhead represents 

history and archeology.

The emblem symbolizes the 

values of National Park Rangers.

The Custom House Building became known as Federal Hall 

National Memorial in 1955. The building is now a place to 

remember all of the historic events that have occurred here and 

how they affect our lives today.

National Park Rangers care for all National Parks, but it is a job 

we cannot do alone. The stewardship of the American people is 

vital to the well-being of our national treasures. 

What are some things YOU can do to help care for our National 

Parks? 

Stewardship is the careful 

and responsible management 

of something entrusted to a 

person or community’s care.

Congratulations! You have completed the Junior Park Ranger guide for Federal Hall. 

Present your completed booklet to a Park Ranger to receive your badge. Why not also 

become a WebRanger? Visit www.nps.gov/webrangers to learn more.

11
George Washington took his own oath – the 

oath of office as first President of the United 

States – on the site of Federal Hall.

I, ____________________________, promise to 

share what I have learned today with others. 

I will explore, preserve and protect America’s 

National Parks, so that through my stewardship, 

they will be preserved for future generations.

Federal Hall 

National Memorial 

Junior Ranger Certificate

Junior Ranger

Certifying Park Ranger

Date