Conservatory

rs. Custis, Mrs. Lee and Lee daughters used this sunny room to tender plants. Alternatively called a “conservatory,” “greenhouse,” and “Camellia House,” this room and the flower garden outside were places of responsibility and enjoyment for the ladies of Arlington. The room was originally a cloister or porch formed by Roman arches on the west and south. Later it was enclosed and a stove was added to provide warmth for the plants. It appears that the only set of stairs connecting the Conservatory to the rest of the house led into the Office, as a working greenhouse would not have been used as an entrance or traffic passage.

	View of Conservatory, facing South.

Today, visitors can see several examples of plants which Mrs. Lee and her daughters once grew at Arlington, including geraniums and pansies. The room also serves as an activity area for the Arlington House fourth grade Parks as Classrooms program, “Growing Up in the 1850s.”

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