# 701 - 1931 50c Arlington Amphitheatre
1931 50¢ Arlington Amphitheater
Rotary Press
Issue Date: September 4, 1931
First City: Washington, DC
Arlington National Cemetery
In the early 1800s, John Parke Custis’ son, George Washington Parke Custis (stepson of President Washington), began constructing a Greek revival mansion on the property as a memorial to the first president. George’s only surviving child, Mary, met and married Robert E. Lee at Arlington. The couple spent the next 30 years traveling between US Army outposts and the mansion, where six of the seven Lee children were born.
Lee wrote his letter of resignation in the early morning hours of April 20, 1861, in his bedroom on the second floor of Arlington House and left his home two days later. With Virginia’s secession and Lee’s resignation, Arlington suddenly became a threat to the capital because of its strategic location overlooking the National Mall.
From his field station, Lee convinced Mary to leave the property. Mary buried many of the family’s valuables on the grounds and fled in advance of the Union invasion. On May 24, 1861, Brigadier General Irvin McDowell occupied Arlington and set up headquarters for the Army of the Potomac. To the Union troops, Arlington House was the home of the rebel commander, and their contempt can be seen in the broken windows and graves that were dug within the yards of the mansion.
Since the beginning of the war, soldiers who died in battle near Washington, DC were buried in the US Soldiers’ Cemetery or the Alexandria Cemetery. These cemeteries were filling up rapidly, so in 1862, Congress passed legislation permitting the government to purchase land for national cemeteries. The Arlington property was among those examined and concluded to be the most suitable for its size, location, and aesthetics.
A decade later, the Lee family sued the United States for ownership of the property. In 1882, the Supreme Court ruled in the Lee family’s favor, deciding that Arlington had been confiscated without due process. The property was returned to the Lee family, who then sold it back to the government for $150,000.
Click here to view Arlington National Cemetery’s official website.
1931 50¢ Arlington Amphitheater
Rotary Press
Issue Date: September 4, 1931
First City: Washington, DC
Arlington National Cemetery
In the early 1800s, John Parke Custis’ son, George Washington Parke Custis (stepson of President Washington), began constructing a Greek revival mansion on the property as a memorial to the first president. George’s only surviving child, Mary, met and married Robert E. Lee at Arlington. The couple spent the next 30 years traveling between US Army outposts and the mansion, where six of the seven Lee children were born.
Lee wrote his letter of resignation in the early morning hours of April 20, 1861, in his bedroom on the second floor of Arlington House and left his home two days later. With Virginia’s secession and Lee’s resignation, Arlington suddenly became a threat to the capital because of its strategic location overlooking the National Mall.
From his field station, Lee convinced Mary to leave the property. Mary buried many of the family’s valuables on the grounds and fled in advance of the Union invasion. On May 24, 1861, Brigadier General Irvin McDowell occupied Arlington and set up headquarters for the Army of the Potomac. To the Union troops, Arlington House was the home of the rebel commander, and their contempt can be seen in the broken windows and graves that were dug within the yards of the mansion.
Since the beginning of the war, soldiers who died in battle near Washington, DC were buried in the US Soldiers’ Cemetery or the Alexandria Cemetery. These cemeteries were filling up rapidly, so in 1862, Congress passed legislation permitting the government to purchase land for national cemeteries. The Arlington property was among those examined and concluded to be the most suitable for its size, location, and aesthetics.
A decade later, the Lee family sued the United States for ownership of the property. In 1882, the Supreme Court ruled in the Lee family’s favor, deciding that Arlington had been confiscated without due process. The property was returned to the Lee family, who then sold it back to the government for $150,000.
Click here to view Arlington National Cemetery’s official website.