Arlington National Cemetary is located in
Arlington County, Virginia and is a
military cemetery in the
United States, established during the
American Civil War on the grounds of
Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of
Robert E. Lee's wife
Mary Anna (Custis) Lee, a descendant of
Martha Washington. The cemetery is situated directly across the
Potomac River from
Washington, D.C. and near
The Pentagon. It is served by the
Arlington Cemetery station on the Blue Line of the
Washington Metro system.
More than 300,000 people are buried in an
area of 624 acres (2.53 km2). Veterans and military casualties from every one of the nation's wars are interred in the cemetery, from the
American Civil War through the military actions in
Afghanistan and
Iraq. Pre-Civil War dead were reinterred after 1900.
Arlington Memorial Amphitheater Exterior facade of the Arlington Memorial Amphitheater is modeled on Roman amphitheatres. It is built of Vermont Imperial Danby marble in the
Doric order.
The Tomb of the Unknowns is part of the
Arlington Memorial Amphitheater. The Memorial Amphitheater has hosted state funerals and
Memorial Day and
Veterans Day ceremonies. Ceremonies are also held for
Easter. About 5,000 people attend these holiday ceremonies each year. The structure is mostly built of Imperial Danby marble from
Vermont. The Memorial Display room, between the amphitheater and the Tomb of the Unknowns, uses
Botticino stone, imported from
Italy. The amphitheater was the result of a campaign by
Ivory Kimball to construct a place to honor America's soldiers. Congress authorized the structure
March 4,
1913.
Woodrow Wilson laid the cornerstone for the building on
October 15,
1915. The cornerstone contained 15 items including a Bible and a copy of the Constitution.
Year established: June 15, 1864
Country: United States Owned by: United States Department of the Army Size: 624 acres (3 km2))
Number of gravesites: 300,001
Website: Official Site Find A Grave: Findagrave
