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Arlington National Cemetery

Arlington, Virginia

Rows of Honored Graves
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The cemetery was established 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 first burial (a Confederate prisoner of war) occured on May 13, 1864.

More than 300,000 people are buried here on 624 acres.

Arlington National Cemetery has the second-largest number of people buried of any national cemetery in the United States.

Three state funerals have been held at Arlington: those of Presidents William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy, and that of General of the Armies John Pershing.

Whether or not they were wartime service members, U.S. Presidents are eligible to be buried at Arlington since they oversaw the armed forces.

Arlington National Cemetery Categories


Map of the Area Around
Arlington National Cemetery