Lee Mansion National Memorial, Arlington, Virginia (1953)

Set on the Virginia banks of the Potomac, opposite the nation’s capital, stands a grand stone mansion steeped in the early story of America. Built in the early 1800s by George Washington Parke Custis, grandson of Martha Washington, the house was intended as a repository for the heirlooms and memories of the first president’s family. Its sweeping Doric portico, twin wings, and elegant interiors echo the genteel lifestyle of a romantic era, while the very bricks were fired from local clay by enslaved hands.

In the decades that followed, the home became the family seat of Robert E. Lee and his wife Mary Custis, linking the legacy of the Washington line to the future Confederate general. Within these walls Lee drafted his resignation from the U.S. Army, a decision that would echo through the nation’s history. Today, the preserved rooms and original furnishings invite listeners to step back into a world of refined hospitality, personal drama, and the layered heritage of a house that witnessed the nation’s formative moments.