Washington DC September 24th 2014

September 24th 2014 in Washington DC at Arlington House The Robert E Lee Memorial

At the top of the hill in the cemetery is Arlington House The Robert E Lee Memorial, the rangers do guided tours so in we went.

This photo was on an old glass negative

This room was first used as a parlour. Mrs. Lee converted it in 1855 after arthritis restricted her mobility. Her father, George Washington Parke Custis used it as his painting studio. He painted American Revolutionary War scenes, including the Battle of Monmouth and Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial

Mr. and Mrs. Custis’ ChamberThis room served as Mr. and Mrs. Custis chamber. Both Custises died here. Agnes and Annie Lee were reciting the Lord’s Prayer with their grandmother when she died on April 23, 1853. 

Colonel and Mary Lee's chamber, the door leads to the dressing room where Mrs Lee gave birth to 6 or their 7 children

Although we couldn't go inside I managed a photo of the children's dressing room and playroom

The dining room

Family ParlourOn June 30, 1831, Lt. Robert E. Lee and Mary Custis were married in the Family Parlour. Mrs. Custis, and later Mrs. Lee, conducted family prayers twice each day in this room. The engagement portrait of Mary Anna Randolph Custis hangs over the fireplace. Can you imagine it must have been quite a squeeze to have all those ladies with the huge hoop dresses on.

These bedrooms are in a different building behind the"big house"

The servants / slaves bedrooms and beds very different from the big house

The rear of the house

This tree must be hundreds of years old

There is an exhibition in one of the old outbuildings but with so much its hard to take everything in.

Colonel Robert E Lee

Here is a link if you would like to know more about the house and the cemetery.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-arlington-national-cemetery-came-to-be-145147007/

Here is another one, with lots of information and photographs of the house.
 http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/arho/index.html

We enjoyed the day, the Americans have done it right for all the Smithsonian Exhibitions they are all free you just have to pay for parking.

Ok lots more about our time in Washington in the next blog.
I'm writing these blog pages back on the boat in Grenada now, that is when I get a moment or two.

BFN
Don and Glenys on the USA land trip
Agua Therapy was sitting waiting for us in Grenada)