Norwich bulletin., 1913-05-31
A Day Spent at Arlington

George Washington Parke Custis, who inherited the Arlington estate from his father was a member of Washington's family until the death of Washington in 1799, and soon after removed to Arlington, where he resided until his death Oct. 10. 1857. By his will bearing date of March 26 1855, he devised the Arlington house estate to his daughter and only child, Mary Ann Randolph Lee, wife of Lieut.. Col. Robert E. Lee. United States army, for her use andN benefit during her natural life, and on her death to his eldest grandson, George Washington Cust1s Lee to him and his heirs forever.
 By an executive order by the prest- dent of the United States dated Jan. 6, 1864, the entire tract of 1.190 acres, more or less was selected for govern ment use for war. military, charitable and educational purposes under the provisions of the acts of congress of June ', 1862. and Feb. s. 1883.
 By the same order it was directed that the property be sold to meet the payment of S92.07 direct taxes due thereon This was done Jan. II. 1864, and the property was bid in for the United States for the sum of $26, 800
 Mrs. Lee having died in 1876, legal proceedings contesting the legality of the tax sales were instituted by George Washington CuStiS Lee as heir under the will of his grandfather. George Washington Parke Custis. The case was heard in the United States circuit court for the eastern district of Vir- ginia, and verdict rendered in his fla vor, which upon appeal was affirmed by the decision of the supreme court of the United States Dec. 4. 1882.
 Congress by the act of March 3, 1883. appropriated the sum of $150,000 for the purchase of this property, and on March 31. 1883. George Washington ta mi States by deed the title to the property in question for 11te sum appropriated
 Arlington National Cemetery (copied from tablet)-By an order of the sec retary of war dated June 15, 1864 the Arlington mansion and the grounds surrounding it. not exceeding 200 acres, were appropriated for military cemetery to be laid out and enclosed for the burial of all soldiers dying in the hospitals in the vicinity of Wash ington and Alexandria.
 The boundaries of this original plat have since been extended by order of the secretary of war to the southern boundary of the estate and the actual area now enclosed and constituting the national cemetery is four hundred and eight and one third acres.
 The construction of the mansion was commenced in 1894. but was not com pleted until after the war of 1872
 It is said to have been modelled af- ter the Temple of Paesturn, near Ma pies.
 It was the residence of Robert F.. Lee until 1881. when he resigned his commission in the United States army to join the Rebellion. and afterward became it's most conspicuous military leader.
 The main buildings on the premises have been preserved in their original r,iSy columns of the two northern gateways of the east front of the cemetery were a part of the north portico of the old war department building at Washing ton, removed on it's demolition in 1879, and the stone pillars and entablature of the Temple of Fame, just south Ot the mansion, were removed from the corridors of the patent office upon the restoration of that building after it's partial destruction by fire Sept. "A, 1877.
 Within the addition in the south western section of the enclosure is the site of Fort McPherson, one of the chain of Actresses constructed dur ing the War of the Rebellion for the defense of Washington. It has been restored as far as practicable to its original condition.
 The burials in this cemetery are mainly of those who died in hospi- tals in the city of Washington and vicinity. but include also the remains gathered from the battlef1elds of Bull Run, Manassas, Br1stow Station, ChantiIly and Adie from numerous camps and fields between the Potomac and the Rappahannock, and removals from Point Lookout Md, and from abandoned cemeteries in the District of Columbia.
 The number of interments in the cemetery at this date (Dec. 1. 1S96) is 16,320.
 This abridged history of Arlington house estate and the Arlington Nation al cemetery is set forth upon these tablets for the information of visitors to the cemetery by the quartermaster' S department United States army. un- der the direction of the secretary of war Daniel Lamont.
 THE DREAMER. Washington, D. c.