Morristown National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Morristown National Historical Park

www.nps.gov/morr

JUNIOR RANGER BOOKLET
Welcome to Morristown NHP!

We hope you enjoy the park and have 

fun earning your Junior Ranger badge

Becoming a Junior Ranger

Anyone can become a Junior Ranger if they are ready to learn 

about Morristown National Historical Park and have fun! As a 

Junior Ranger, your responsibility is to enjoy and protect all the 

national park sites you visit. Almost every national park site has a 

Junior Ranger program. See how many badges you can earn!

Use the illustrations below to figure out which activities you 

need to complete to earn your Junior Ranger badge. When 

finished, take your book to the Park Ranger at the Washington’s 

Headquarters Museum or the Jockey Hollow Visitor Center.

PSST... If you complete all the activities 

for your age group you earn the special 

Junior Ranger patch pictured below.

Musician: Ages 0-6

Complete 3 

activities

Continental 

Soldier: Ages 7-10

Complete 3 

activities and the 

National Park 

Service Activity on 

the next page

Officer: Ages 11 

& Up

Complete 4 

activities and the 

National Park 

Service Activity on 

the next page
National Park Service

How do you know you are in a place that is cared for by the National Park 

Service? Look for the arrowhead! You might find it on signs, buildings or 

park rangers. The arrowhead is a symbol that reminds all of us to protect 

special places like Morristown.

Draw a line between the parts of the arrowhead and what they represent.

Have you been to any other national park sites? Which one is your favorite?

History

Landscapes

Recreation

Plants

Animals

New Jersey has 9 National Park Service sites. Can you name any others besides Morristown NHP?

Lake

Mountain

Arrowhead

Sequoia Tree

Bison
Museum Match-Up

The museum was completed in 1935. It is where we display many artifacts about the 

American Revolution and George Washington. The museum has three main exhibit 

galleries, the Military Gallery, the American Style Gallery and the Smith Gallery. Find the 

items shown below in the museum and draw a line to the gallery that they are found in.

The Military Gallery The Smith Gallery The American Style Gallery
Museum Scavenger Hunt

The museum was completed in 1935. It is one of the first buildings ever built in the 

National Park Service to house a museum. It is where we display many artifacts about 

the American Revolution and George Washington. The museum has three main exhibit 

galleries, the Military Gallery, the American Style Gallery and the Smith Gallery. Look 

throughout the museum to find the answers to the questions below.

1. How many times can you find George Washington’s face in the exhibits?

5. Name one game that people played in the 18th Century?

Have you ever played this game?

4. How much did one link of the West Point Chain weigh?

3. Who uses a Shoe Last?

2. Which room is the painting pictured below located in?

6. Draw the Society of the Cincinnati badge in the box

7. What is your favorite artifact in the museum?
Museum Crossword

The museum was designed by John Russell Pope, the same man who designed the 

Jefferson Memorial. The museum is where we display many artifacts from the American 

Revolution and George Washington. The museum has three main exhibit galleries. 

To complete this activity you have to fill in the crossword puzzle, the answers to the 

questions can be found throughout the museum.

Across

4. Lloyd W. Smith Collection: __________ of Protest.

8. The ___________ of Washington is a reverse painting on glass.

9. Thomas ___________ wrote Common Sense and American Controverse.

Down

1. George Washington’s __________ sword he wore when he became president in 1789.

2. ____________ was prized for their musical quality.

3. Backgammon and ____________were popular games in the 18th Century.

5. Gilbert ___________ painted three portraits of George Washington from life.

6. This field __________ was captured at the Battle of Princeton on January 3, 1777.

7. The West Point chain protected the _________ River from the British.
Publishing Rebellion

Pamphlets are short books that could be published quickly and 

distributed throughout a town, colony or even the whole country. 

They were used to get citizens excited about a particular event. 

Design your own pamphlet cover about your visit today. Use your 

imagination! For hints, look at the documents on display in the Smith 

Gallery. 
Supplying the Army

Finish

Start

The officers and soldiers in Jockey Hollow didn’t hunt for animals, why do you think 

this was?

Sometimes soldiers bought items from the camp sutler, a person who sells food and 

supplies to the soldiers in camp. What extra food or supplies would you buy during a 

cold winter? 

During the winter the roads were almost impossible to travel. Can 

you get the supplies from town to the soldiers in Jockey Hollow?
Build-A-Park

Did you know that regular citizens of Morristown were the first to 

preserve the Ford Mansion and Jockey Hollow? In 1873, a group known 

as the Washington Association of New Jersey bought the Mansion and 

turned it into a museum and later bought Jockey Hollow. They donated it 

to the National Park Service in 1933. Use the symbols below to make your 

own national park. Don’t forget to draw hiking trails, parking lots and 

what ever you want. Let your imagination run wild!

Campground

Driving Tour

Rock Climbing

Ranger Station

Picnic Area

Horseback Riding

What is the name of your park? 
Wick House Investigation 

The Wick house was built in the early 1750’s. As you tour the home answer the questions below. 

If you need any hints ask the Park Ranger inside.

Enter Here

Room #1

Room #6

Room #2

Room #3

Room #4 Room #5

How many fireplaces do you see?

What room did the family cook their meals in?

If you were an aide to General St. Clair which room would you sleep in?

As a soldier in the army, what sacrifices would you have to make?

Front Door

If you were General St. Clair, which room would you sleep in?

What are some advantages for the Wick Family to have General St. Clair stay in their home?
Hiking Tic-Tac-Toe

Jockey Hollow and the New Jersey Brigade area have 27 miles of 

hiking trails. Hiking is one of the best and most popular ways to 

experience the wonders of nature. Pick any trail in the park and 

while you are hiking place an ‘X’ over each item you see while hiking.

Get 1 Tic-Tac-Toe Get 2 Tic-Tac-Toes Get 3 Tic-Tac-Toes

What trail did you hike? 

Park Ranger

National Park Service Arrowhead Trail Marker/Blaze

Acorn

Leafy Tree

Bird

Mammal Animal Tracks

Stream
In a world without computers or the internet the only way soldiers 

could communicate with their families was through letters. The soldiers 

would sometimes write letters and poems or draw pictures of their 

surroundings to send home to their parents and siblings. While at the 

Soldiers Huts follow the directions on the left hand side for your activity.

Writing Home

Musician: From 

the bottom of 

the hill at the 

soldiers huts 

draw what you 

see when you are 

looking at the 

soldiers huts.

Continental 

Soldier: While 

sitting in one of 

the soldier huts, 

write a letter to a 

friend or family 

member about 

what you see 

and feel inside 

the hut.

Officer: 

Investigate both 

the soldiers huts 

and the officers 

hut. Then write 

a letter or poem 

explaining the 

advantages to 

life as an officer.
Cross Estate Gardens

The Cross Estate Gardens go back to the early 20th century when 

wealthy people built grand country mansions as summer retreats in the 

“Mountain Colony”. One purpose of the gardens was for relaxation and 

getting in touch with the sounds of nature. Many people today walk 

around the garden and enjoy the sounds of nature.

Find a spot in the garden where you can sit still for up to 5 minutes. Stay very quiet and listen 

for any noises that you can hear. Maybe it’s a bird singing, a woodpecker drumming, something 

rustling in the leaves, the wind, or trickling water. Draw where the sounds are coming from 

using the box below. Pretend you are the X in the middle of the box so that all the sounds are 

in relation to where you are sitting. If you hear a sound in front of you, draw a picture or write 

down what is making the noise above the X. If it’s behind you, draw it below the X. Pretty soon, 

you should have a map of all the interesting things you’ve heard surrounding you. Look at the 

example to get started.
Fort Nonsense

Fort Nonsense was called Kinney Hill during George Washington’s 

stay in Morristown. The name was changed to Fort Nonsense 

by local residents in the late 1800’s because they thought it was 

unimportant. As you walk around you will discover the many uses of 

Kinney Hill during the American Revolution.

As you walk around you probably have noticed the granite blocks that are in the 

ground. These are the outline of what the fort looked like. Walk around the fort and 

in the box below draw what you think the fort would have looked like.

Kinney Hill was also a lookout so the Continental Army could see if the British were 

marching to Morristown from New York City. A signal beacon was placed on the hill. 

Answer the following questions in the box below.

1. Why is it important for the signal beacon to be on top of the hill?

2. What were some of the resources the Continental Army was trying to protect in 

Morristown and the surrounding area?

Since the American Revolution, Morristown has grown a lot. During the war the 

town had a population of only 250 people. From the lookout draw what you see in 

town today in the box below. 
Official Junior Ranger Commission

Upon completion of all tasks as assigned, his 

excellency George Washington bestows the rank 

of Junior Ranger upon:

 With this commission the above mentioned Junior 

Ranger receives all privileges and honors of the 

position. 

Seal of Morristown NHP

 

Junior Ranger

 

Park Ranger

a
Morristown National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Morristown National Historical Park

www.nps.gov/morr

For Additional Information contact:

Morristown National Historical Park

30 Washington Place

Morristown, NJ 07960

973-539-2016 ext.210

www.nps.gov/morr