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Historic Sites in Virginia
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Mount Vernon Historical Site
Mount Vernon is one of the best documented historic houses in
America. The Association's library and archival collections
provide a continuous history of the Mount Vernon estate and its
owners from the original land patent in 1674 up to the present
day. The primary focus is on George Washington's tenure at Mount
Vernon during the mid-to late-eighteenth century. The collection
is the basis for the restoration and interpretation of George
Washington's home and plantation. Collections consist of
manuscripts, original and duplicate books, prints, historical
photographs, postcards, early newspapers, microfilm of the
Library of Congress papers of George Washington, and ephemera.
Extensive Association records document the founding of the Mount
Vernon Ladies' Association, the earliest national preservation
organization and the oldest women's patriotic society in
America. A reference library contains biographical information
about the Washington family and about 18th-century American life
and culture. For information call: (703)780-2000
Manassas National Battlefield Park
The American Civil War's Battles of First and Second Manassas
(also called Bull Run) were fought here July 21, 1861 and August
28-30, 1862. The 1861 battle was the first test of Northern and
Southern military prowess. Here Confederate Brig. Gen. Thomas J.
Jackson acquired his nickname "Stonewall". For information call:
(703)754-1861
Fort Ward
Fort Ward was constructed during the American Civil War
(1861-1865) as one of the defensive forts built to protect the
Federal capital of Washington, D.C. The fort site remains
approximately 90-95% intact, with the Northwest Bastion restored
to illustrate the appearance of the entire fortification circa
1864. The fort site is surrounded by a 45-acre park and is
interpreted by Fort Ward Museum through exhibits, programs and a
2000-volume Civil War research library. Fort Ward is owned and
operated by the City of Alexandria, Virginia through the Office
of Historic Alexandria. The Museum and historic site is
accredited by the American Association of Museums and is listed
on the National Register of Historic Places. For information
call: (703)838-4848
Appomattox Court House National Historical Park
At Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, you walk the
old county lanes where Robert E. Lee, commanding general of the
Army of Northern Virginia, surrendered his men to Ulysses Grant,
general-in-chief of all United States forces, on April 9, 1865.
Imagine the events that signaled the end of the Southern States'
attempt to create separate nation. Authorized as a battlefield
site June 18, 1930; transferred from War Dept. Aug. 10, 1933;
authorized as a national historical monument Aug. 13, 1935;
designated a national historical park April 15, 1954. For
information call: (804)352-8987
Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial
Arlington House is uniquely associated with the families of
Washington, Custis, and Lee, for it was built by George
Washington Parke Custis. He was the grandson of Martha
Washington by her first marriage to Daniel Parke Custis. After
his father died, young Custis was raised by his grandmother and
her second husband, George Washington, at Mount Vernon. Custis,
a farsighted agricultural pioneer, painter, playwright, and
orator, was interested in perpetuating the memory and principles
of George Washington. His house, begun in 1802 but not completed
until 1817, became a "treasury" of Washington heirlooms.
Arlington House, named after the Custis family's homestead of
Virginia's Eastern Shore, was built on 1,100 acre estate that
Custis' father, John Parke Custis, purchased in 1778. The north
and south wings were completed between 1802 and 1804. The large
center section and the portico, presenting an imposing front
1140 feet long, were finished 13 years later. Robert E. Lee
described the house, situated on a hill high above the Potomac,
as one "anyone might see with half an eye." A wartime law
required that property owners in areas occupied by Federal
troops appear in person to pay their taxes. Unable to comply
with this rule, Mrs. Lee saw her estate confiscated in 1864. A
200-acre section was set aside as a military cemetery, the
beginning of today's Arlington National Cemetery. In 1882 G.W.C.
Lee's suit against the Federal Government for the return of his
property was successful. By then, hundreds of graves covered the
hills of Arlington and he accepted the Government's offer of
$150,000 for the property. For information call: (703)557-0613
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