Arlington House, or the Robert E. Lee Memorial, is situated in Arlington Cemetery. Originally, it was the Custis-Lee mansion, owned by George Washington’s step-grandson, whose daughter married Robert E. Lee. For 30 years it was their home, on 600 acres, until the Civil War. Because of its strategic location above a vulnerable capitol, Lincoln didn’t want the Confederate Army to set up armament there. At the same time, Washington DC’s cemeteries were overflowing with dying soldiers. Arlington was appropriated as a National Cemetery. To be sure the Lee family never returned, prominent Union officer graves were dug in the garden next to Arlington House. In 1955, Arlington House was designated a memorial to Robert E. Lee.
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- Impressive looking columns are actually cement covered brick painted to look like marble. Custis was short on funds, having spent heavily to purchase George Washington’s household goods.
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- Lee’s bedroom. The entire mansion is undergoing a privately funded $12 million restoration next year.
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- The view from Arlington House, over the Memorial bridge, looks directly at the Lincoln Memorial.
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- Union graves are prominent around the edges of the garden, just steps from the mansion.
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- When asking for directions, I spoke with people from all over the world. Many didn’t speak English, but were here to witness the magnitude of this history.
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- John F. Kennedy’s burial site, next to Jacqueline, just below Arlington House.
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- “He took care of soldiers”
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- The personal remembrances are both touching and heartbreaking.
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- Time is too slow for those that wait, Too swift for those that fear, Too long for those that grieve, Too short for those who rejoice, But for those who love, time is Eternity. Henry Van Dyke
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- There are 57 different emblems of faith at Arlington, from Christian to Muslim to Buddhist to Atheist.
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- “The beginning of the end of war lies in remembrance.” Korean War Memorial
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- In remembrance of the 275 people killed in the terrorist bombing of PanAm Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988.
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- The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has been guarded every minute of every day since 1937.
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- More than 400,000 graves.
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- The US Marine Corps War Memorial is dedicated to “the Marine dead of all wars and their comrades of other services who fell fighting beside them.”
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