Vaca Part 10: Arlington House

I truly did not know there was a House at Arlington, but it was a highlight of our trip. It is a long walk up and around the cemetery to get there, but the view is amazing! It is a great location for a house and a better location for a military vantage point, so it is no surprise the Union Army took the house during the Civil War. What was surprising was that the lady of the house, Mrs Mary Lee, was not only the wife of General Lee (a general in the Confederate Army) but she was also the step-grand-daughter of General Washington!

Mary and Robert were married in the parlor, which like the rest of the house was set with period pieces, some of which were original to the house. They had seven children, the first being born at the hospital and the other six born in the house reportedly because Mary had a poor experience at the hospital. She scheduled their travels so she would be home to deliver in a small drawing room on the second floor.

During the tour, some of us were able to go to the attic where you can still see names and scratchings in the trusses made by the Union Army during the war.

It impressed me how Mary must have struggled to balance her love and devotion to her husband and her family, while on opposite sides of the war. She must have been very strong and courageous, too, because she had a special room in the house where she taught the slaves to read and included the slave children in Sunday School lessons with her own children. At the time it was illegal to teach slaves, but she did anyway, reportedly because she believed they would one day be free and she wanted them to have the skills necessary to succeed.

Last piece:  Arlington National Cemetery