Fort Myer near Arlington in Arlington County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Paying Tribute

Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial

— George Washington Memorial Parkway —

Paying Tribute Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Connor Olson, March 21, 2022

1. Paying Tribute Marker

Inscription. George Washington Parke Custis was "land rich"—a man of 18,000 acres and 200 enslaved laborers inherited through his lineage to Martha Washington. Custis pooled these resources to build Arlington House in memory of his step-grandfather, his idol, George Washington. The Greek Revival Style mansion, designed by capitol architect George Hadfield, glorified the ideals of Washington.

Construction began in 1802. Though Custis had access to land and labor, he could not afford real stone. Workers covered clay bricks with stucco and painted them to look like sandstone, a material used to build the White House.

(caption)
Enslaved laborers, free blacks, and indentured servants built the mansion in four phases.

Erected by National Park service, U.S. Department of the interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Architecture. A significant historical year for this entry is 1802.

Location. 38° 52.878′ N, 77° 4.345′ W. Marker is near Arlington, Virginia, in Arlington County. It is in Fort Myer. It can be reached from Sherman Drive 0.2 miles Lincoln Drive, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map.

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Marker is at or near this postal address: 321 Sherman Drive, Fort Myer VA 22211, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area

and in Northern Virginia.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Evolving Vision (a few steps from this marker); Division and Unification (a few steps from this marker); Pierre Charles L’Enfant (a few steps from this marker); Platforms of Power (within shouting distance of this marker); Growing Season (within shouting distance of this marker); Piecing the Past Together (within shouting distance of this marker); Trophy of War (within shouting distance

Photographed by Connor Olson, March 21, 2022

2. Paying Tribute Marker

of this marker); The Gray Family (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Arlington.

Other markers no longer nearby. Arlington Estate, 1860 (was a few steps from this marker but has been permanently removed); A Garden Sustains (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); Kitchen Garden (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Dependence on Slave Labor (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed).

Also see . . . Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial. National Park Service website entry (Submitted on March 29, 2022.)

Credits. This page was last revised on November 9, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 28, 2022, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 455 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 28, 2022, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.