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Arlington National Cemetery, located in Arlington, Virginia, is situated on land formerly owned by George Washington Parke Custis, George Washington's adopted son. Custis passed it on to his daughter, Mary, who married Robert E. Lee. Mary and Robert lived there until the Civil War began, when the property was seized by the Union Army. It became a place to bury the Union dead and is now the national cemetery of the United States. Thousands of military veterans, along with prominent Americans, are laid to rest in the cemetery each year.
According to the Macmillan Dictionary a monument is either a "structure built in a public place to celebrate an important person or event," or a "place of historical importance, for example an old building." Without going into complicated mathematical description, the "golden ratio" is a constant that is derived from a geometrical picture and that is said to be aesthetically pleasing to the eye, and that occurs naturally in many examples. The magic number is 1.618, and it is not by accident that many monuments have been designed and built according to this golden ratio.
Congress passed legislation in 1862 to allow for the government to purchase land for burying its soldiers. In 1866, Shiloh National Cemetery was established to bury soldiers who perished during Civil War battles along the Tennessee River. Over the years, soldiers from other wars have also been buried at Shiloh National Cemetery, but many of the monuments within the cemetery commemorate those lost in the Civil War.
The Iwo Jima Memorial is located near the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia and is dedicated to five Marines and one Navy corpsman who were photographed raising the American flag on top of Mount Suribachi during the battle for Iwo Jima. The memorial is a 32-foot-tall statue of the men as they place and attempt to raise the American flag into standing position. There are several hotels in Arlington that are close to the Memorial and the Arlington National Cemetery.
Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia, is one of two national cemeteries administered by the U.S. Army. The other is Soldiers Home National Cemetery. There are more than 300,000 people buried at Arlington including veterans of all the nation's wars. The Tomb of the Unknowns, dedicated to unidentified service persons, is one of Arlington's most visited sites.
Arlington National Cemetery is a popular destination for visitors of Washington, D.C., especially during the summer months. Because of the hilly terrain, however, a tour mobile provides rides up to the more memorable cemetery destinations, like the Tomb of the Unknowns and the Kennedy grave site. The mobile begins 30 minutes after the cemetery opens at 8 a.m. It costs a nominal fee and usually by noon, crowds are lined up waiting for to take the tour. But if you want to escape the crowds and experience the solemn and tranquil setting while honoring the nation’s fallen heroes, arrive before…
Located just west of Arlington National Cemetery, the U.S. Marine Corps War memorial, or Iwo Jima Memorial as it is more commonly called, is a magnificent bronze sculpture comparable in size to the sculpture at the Jefferson Memorial just across the Potomac. The famous photograph of five marines lifting the American flag after conquering Iwo Jima is memorialized here; an image depicting the process rather than the end result. The effort in raising the flagpole is artistically evident on each soldier’s face, making a visit dramatic and empowering. The American flag always flies here and the memorial is managed by…
Visiting Arlington National Cemetery can be a somber and emotional experience. Covering more than 200 acres in Arlington, Virginia, this cemetery became a national military cemetery in 1864. Take time to remember those who served our country by planning a visit to Arlington National Cemetery.
Arlington National Cemetery is across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., and serves as an American military cemetery. Cross the Memorial Bridge that sits at the base of the Lincoln Memorial to get there. Here's how you can find a particular grave at Arlington.
