Arlington
House
Arlington, Virginia
#NC-06100-HM - Notecards
Also available in Assortment Pack #AST-720
and #AST-721
#PR-06100-HM
- Open Edition Print
Arlington
House (Custis-Lee Mansion) was built in 1802-1818 by George Washington
Parke Custis, grandson of Martha Washington, on the 1,100-acre
plantation inherited from his father. Plans for the Classical
Revival mansion are thought to be drawn by George Hadfield, a
young English architect.
In 1804, Custis
married Mary Lee Fitzhugh. Their daughter, Mary Ann Randolph Custis,
married Lt. Robert E. Lee on June 30, 1831. During the next 30
years, the Lees often lived at Arlington House. In 1861, with
war between the states inevitable, Lee declined an offer to command
the Federal army, and instead offered his services to his native
Virginia when it seceded in April.
On 24 May
1861, Federal troops crossed the Potomac, transforming the mansion
and its environs into headquarters for the Army of the Potomac.
In 1863 the Federal Government confiscated the property, and in
June 1864, designated the estate as Arlington National Cemetery.
In addition, Freedman's Village was established on the Arlington
estate in June 1863. It existed for almost 30 years, providing
housing, education, employment training, medical care, and food
to former slaves.
Following
the civil war, Lee's oldest son, Custis Lee, filed suit in Federal
Court arguing that the government's confiscation was unconstitutional.
In 1882, The Supreme Court upheld Lee's suit and awarded him $150,000.
Arlington House is now a national memorial to Robert E. Lee.
Text
© 1995 Dianne Harrah, Drawing © 1995 Bill Harrah
.
. . HISTORIC HOMES . . . (Click on an image to
see the actual notecard size)