Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial

Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial
Name	Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial
Caption	Arlington House overlooking the Potomac River
Location	Arlington, Virginia
Built	1802–1818
Architect	George Hadfield
Architecture	Greek Revival
Designated nrhp type	April 12, 1921
Governing body	National Park Service

Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial. Perched on a ridge overlooking the Potomac River and Washington, D.C., this historic mansion is a Greek Revival monument to the complex legacy of Robert E. Lee and the American Civil War. Constructed in the early 19th century by George Washington Parke Custis, the adopted grandson of George Washington, the estate's history is inextricably linked to the Custis family, the Confederate States of America, and the origins of Arlington National Cemetery. Today, administered by the National Park Service, it serves as a memorial exploring themes of unity, memory, and the struggle for freedom.

History

The estate's origins trace to a 1,100-acre tract purchased in 1778 by John Parke Custis, son of Martha Washington. His son, George Washington Parke Custis, began constructing the mansion in 1802 as a tribute to his adoptive grandfather, George Washington, intending it to house a vast collection of Washington memorabilia. Designed by the English architect George Hadfield, construction proceeded slowly, utilizing enslaved laborers, and was largely complete by 1818. Custis, a prominent agriculturalist and orator, lived there with his wife, Mary Lee Fitzhugh Custis, until his death in 1857, bequeathing the property to his daughter, Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee, the wife of Robert E. Lee.

Architecture and grounds

The mansion is a premier example of early Greek Revival architecture in the United States, featuring a massive portico with eight Doric order columns modeled after the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens. The north and south wings, added later, create a symmetrical design. Interior spaces include a large central hall, the Family Parlor, and the Morning Room, many containing furnishings and artifacts from the Custis and Lee families. The grounds originally functioned as a working plantation, with dependencies including slave quarters, a smokehouse, and a springhouse. The estate's gardens and sweeping views of the National Mall were famously landscaped, influencing the design of the United States Capitol grounds by Andrew Jackson Downing.

Robert E. Lee residency

Robert E. Lee married Mary Anna Randolph Custis at Arlington House in 1831, and it served as his primary home for nearly 30 years. During this period, Lee, an officer in the United States Army, managed the estate's affairs following the death of his father-in-law in 1857. The Lees' residency was marked by the management of a large enslaved community, whose labor sustained the plantation. In April 1861, after being offered command of the Union Army by General Winfield Scott, Lee declined and resigned his commission following Virginia's secession, departing Arlington House to join the Confederate States Army.

Role in the American Civil War

Following Virginia's secession and the Lees' departure, the Union Army quickly occupied the strategically vital estate in May 1861, using it as a headquarters and camp. In 1862, the United States Congress passed the Direct Tax Act, requiring property owners in "insurrectionary districts" to pay taxes in person. When Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee sent a proxy, the government refused payment and confiscated the estate in 1864 for military purposes. Under the command of Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs, a portion of the grounds was designated as a military cemetery, now Arlington National Cemetery, to prevent the Lees from ever returning.

Establishment as a memorial

The United States Supreme Court ruled in United States v. Lee (1882) that the estate had been illegally confiscated and returned it to Custis Lee, the eldest son of Robert E. Lee. He then sold it back to the United States government in 1883. In 1925, the War Department began restoring the house, and on March 4, 1925, Congress authorized its designation as a memorial to Robert E. Lee, a gesture of national reconciliation. Management was transferred to the National Park Service in 1933, and it was formally dedicated as a memorial by Chief Justice Earl Warren in 1955.

National Cemetery and legacy

The creation of Arlington National Cemetery transformed the estate's legacy into a national symbol of sacrifice. The first military burial was conducted for Private William Henry Christman in May 1864. Today, the cemetery is the final resting place for hundreds of thousands, including veterans from every major conflict from the American Civil War through the Global War on Terrorism, as well as notable figures like President John F. Kennedy and Justice Thurgood Marshall. Arlington House stands above this landscape, preserved to interpret the lives of the Custis and Lee families, the experience of the enslaved people who built and worked there, and the profound consequences of the American Civil War on the nation.

Category:National Park Service areas in Virginia Category:Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Category:Monuments and memorials in Virginia