Arlington Mansion and 200 acres of ground immediately surrounding it were designated officially as a military cemetery June 15, 1864, by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. More than 260,000 people are buried at Arlington Cemetery. Veterans from all the nation's wars are buried in the cemetery, from the American Revolution through the Persian Gulf War, Somalia and Iraq. Pre-Civil War dead were reinterred after 1900. Arlington averages 20 funerals a day.
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The Marine Corps Memorial at the edge of Arlington Cemetery depicts one of the most famous incidents of World War II, however, the memorial is dedicated to all Marines who have given their lives in the defense of the United States since 1775. The 32-foot-high figures are shown erecting a 60-foot bronze flagpole from which a cloth flag flies 24 hours a day in accordance with Presidential proclamation of June 12, 1961. They occupy the same positions as in Rosenthal's historic photograph. The figures, placed on a rock slope, rise about 6 feet from a 10-foot base, making the memorial 78 feet high overall. The M-1 rifle and the carbine carried by two of the figures are 16 and 12 feet long, respectively. The canteen would hold 32 quarts of water. The base of the memorial is made of rough Swedish granite.
Burnished in gold on the granite are the names and dates of every principal Marine Corps engagement since the founding of the Corps, as well as the inscription: "In honor and in memory of the men of the United States Marine Corps who have given their lives to their country since November 10, 1775." Also inscribed on the base is the tribute of Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz to the fighting men on Iwo Jima: "Uncommon Valor was a Common Virtue." The entire cost of the statue and developing the memorial site was $850,000--all donated by U.S. Marines, former Marines, Marine Corps Reservists, friends of the Marine Corps, and members of the Naval Service.
No public funds were used for this memorial.
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About the Church:
Church 1 -- In 1607, the settlers built the first real church inside the fort. Smith related that this was a barn-like structure and the settlers worshipped in it until it was destroyed by fire in January 1608.
Church 2 -- The church which was built after the fire in 1608 was similar in appearance to the first church. When Lord De La Warr arrived as governor in 1610, he found that the church had fallen into a sad state of disrepair, so he had it restored and its furnishings improved.
Church 3 -- In 1617, Captain Argall built a church. This is the first church known to have been built on the site where the present church stands. We know that this was constructed of timbers, but we do not know whether it was "wattle and daub" or a frame structure. The unusual feature of this church was its cobblestone foundation. This church is best remembered as the meeting place of the first Representative Legislative Assembly, which convened there on July 30, 1619. This church endured until 1639, when it was replaced by a brick structure.
Church 4 -- This brick church was begun in 1639, but took about five years to complete. During Bacon's Rebellion in 1676, this church was burned. The extent of the damages is unknown. The church was subsequently repaired. It continued to serve its congregation until approximately 1750, when it was abandoned in favor of a new church constructed some three miles from Jamestown. Following its abandonment, the ravages of time and the elements took their toll until it eventually fell into a complete state of ruin, with the exception of most of its tower, which still stands today.
Church 5 -- In 1907, the National Society of Colonial Dames of America erected a reconstruction church next to the original tower. This is the structure which visitors to Jamestown view today. The cobblestone foundations of the 1617 church, together with the brick foundations of the 1639 church, may be viewed under glass within the walls of the present church.
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Located about 15 miles south of Washington D.C. lies Mount Vernon, Virginia. Mount Vernon was built by Lawrence Washington,George Washington's elder half-brother. George Washington added on to it and remodeled it.
Upon Lawrence Washington's death, it was inherited by Lawrence's infant daughter Sarah. Sarah died in 1754 and George Washington leased the life rights of the property to Lawrence's widow until her death in 1761 when George Washington inherited it under the terms of his half-brother's will.
Mount Vernon was named after Edward Vernon, a British Admiral under whom Lawrence Washington had served in 1740 in the Cartagena Expedition and the estate was divided into five farms. The Mansion House (a.k.a Home Farm), River Farm, Union Farm, Dogue Run Farm and Muddy Hole Farm.
The inscription on the Tomb of Washington reads:
"WITHIN THIS ENCLOSURE REST THE REMAINS OF GENL. GEORGE WASHINGTON."
Over the door of the inner tomb is inscribed:
"I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE."
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The Tomb of the Unknowns is one of the more-visited sites at Arlington National Cemetery The Tomb is made from Yule marble quarried in Colorado and consists of seven pieces, with a total weight of 79 tons. The Tomb was completed and opened to the public April 9, 1932, at a cost of $48,000.
Three unknown servicemen are buried at the Tomb of the Unknowns:
Unknown Soldier of World War I, interred Nov. 11, 1921. President Harding presided.
Unknown Soldier of World War II, interred May 30, 1958. President Eisenhower presided.
Unknown Soldier of the Korean Conflict, interred May 30, 1958. President Eisenhower presided, Vice President Nixon acted as next of kin.
An Unknown Soldier of the Vietnam Conflict, interred May 28, 1984. President Reagan presided.
"We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we will always be free." - Ronald Reagan
The remains of the Vietnam Unknown were disinterred May 14, 1998, and were identified as those of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael J. Blassie, whose family has reinterred him near their home in St. Louis, Mo. It has been determined that the crypt at the Tomb of the Unknowns that contained the remains of the Vietnam Unknown will remain empty.
The Tomb of the Unknowns is guarded by the U.S. Army 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard) began guarding the Tomb April 6, 1948.
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