Construction History Tour of Arlington National Cemetery

This tour of Arlington National Cemetery will highlight the rich history of General Montgomery C. Meigs' work and will be led by Rebecca Stevens, Cultural Resources Manager of Arlington National Cemetery, and Christopher Marston, HAER Architect with the Heritage Documentation Programs of the National Park Service. 

The tour will stop at the Ord & Weitzel gate to see the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial, and attendees will learn how the original sandstone columns and entablature from the portico of the 1818-1820 War Department Building were reused, deconstructed, and are being conserved in preparation for their reassembly to serve once again as gateways. The tour will also visit a monument dedicated to the unknown soldiers who died in the Civil War near Arlington House.The monument, dedicated in September 1866, was the first memorial at Arlington to be dedicated to unidentified soldiers who had died in battle. Other sites to be visited are the 1873 Tanner Amphitheater, the USS Maine Memorial, the gravesite of General Meigs and his son, Lieutenant John R. Meigs, the President John F. Kennedy gravesite, and Arlington House (The Robert E. Lee Memorial). 

This tour is being held in conjunction with the Construction History Society of America biennial meeting and conference (more info here). To attend the tour, please contact Christopher Marston at christopher_marston@nps.gov. Spots are limited!