Arlington Cemetery and House

Arlington House is located on a hillside above the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia.  The mansion was built by George Washington's adopted step grandson, George Washington Parke Custis.  He hired George Hadfield, an English architect, to design it. George Hadfield also designed the U.S. Capitol Building.  Parke Custis built the mansion in memory of George Washington.  When the first part of the mansion was done is 1802, Parke Custis moved in and used a big part of this building to store many of George Washington's personal items.

It took a total of 16 years to complete.  The Arlington House was completed in 1818.  It is 140 feet from the north wing to the south wing. George Washington Parke Custis and his wife, Mary Lee Fitzhugh, lived in Arlington House for the rest of their lives and were buried together on the property.  Their only daughter, Mary, and her husband, Robert E. Lee, took over the house.  They lived there for 30 years.

In 1861 Robert E. Lee resigned from the U.S. Army commission. On April 22 of that year they left Arlington forever.  Arlington House was put up for sale for non-payment of taxes.   It was purchased by the U.S. government in January of 1864.  In May 1864 Secretary of War Edwin Stanton ordered that a national military cemetery be built at Arlington.  The first burials took place that month.  Some of the first people buried there were:

• Pvt. William Henry Christman was the first military service man to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

• Pvt. William H. McKinney, age 17,  was the first person to have family present at his funeral.

• Pvt. James Richmond captured the flag at Gettysburg in the Civil War.

• James Parks was a former Arlington estate slave and dug the first graves.

• Pvt. William Blatt was the first person killed in battle.

• Two unknown Union soldiers who who the first of almost 5,000 unknown servicemen buried there today.