Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial

Arlington House was the home of Robert E. Lee and his family for thirty years and is uniquely associated with the Washington and Custis families. George Washington Parke Custis, Lee’s father-in-law, built the house between 1802 and 1818 to be his home as well as a memorial to George Washington, his step-grandfather. Lee made his historic decision to resign from the US Army at Arlington House and wrote his resignation letter in his second floor bedchamber. Arlington House, with its associated slave quarters and gardens, are now preserved as a memorial to Robert E. Lee, who gained the respect of Americans in both the North and the South and used his influence after the Civil War to help heal the nation.