Fnnw 10-300 UNITE0 STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STATE: (July 1969) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Virginia COUNTY. NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES Northampton INVENTORY - NOMlNATlON FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY

ENTRY NUMBER OATE (Type all entries - complete applicable sections)

Cus tis Tombs ANOfOR HISTORIC: 1 Custis cemetery at Arlington

l2. LOCATION ,, . ...,, . A A A .. ,A A,>,,. ..-.>. . , ,. . . . . 5TREET ANC~~~~~~:South bank of Old Plantation Creek, .I mi. W of northern end of Rt. 644, 1.3 mi. NW of intersection of Rt. 644 and Rt, 645. Cl T V OR TOWN:

STATE COUNTY' COOE

- -... Yi-n la . . 4 5 Northampton 131 I .' . . CLASSIFICATION . ,. , . A,> : , ,% CATEGORY ACCESSIBLE OWNERSHIP STATUS (Check One) --TO THE PU8LIC District a Bullding [7 Public Publlc Acquisition: Occuplad Yes: Restricted Site 0 Struclvre P"~afe IJ In Process Unoccupied a a Unrestrictrd 0 Oblect C] Both 0 Being Conrldsred Prsssrvo~lonwork In progress 0 No

I PRESEN T USE (Check Ona or More os Approptlele) I Govsrnmenb Park 0 Tlonrportation 0Comments 0 Private Rerldanco Other (~paclty)

George F. Parsons STREET AND NUMBER: Arlington CITY OR TOWN: I STATF: 1 I

EGISTRY OF DEEDS ETC'

CI TY OR TOWN. STATE

Jast3LiL. .-- EREPRESENTATION-.-IN EXISTING ,. SURVEYS (TITLE OF SURVEY- m -I Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Report #65-1 D 4 DATE OF SURVEY: 1968 Federal a Stote County G Local Z DEPOSITORY FOR SUR VEV RECORDS: C Virginia Historic Landmarks CornmissLon STREET AND NUMBER: Room 1116, Ninth Street State Office CITY OR TOWN: Richmond I ~ir~inia 4 5 1 . AA,,., . ... - -<;;'', ,. . ,- - . bE5CRIPTlbN *I.. I , , k. *,...... ~ I . ..A (Check One) Excellent Good Cj Fair a Detetiorclted 0 Rulnr 0 Unezposad CONDITION (Check One) (Check One) 0 Altered Unaltered IJ Mwed Original Site OESCRlBE THE PRESENT AN0 ORIGINAL (If known) PHYSICAL APPElRANCE

Although there probably are more graves in the immediate area, visual evidence of the Custis family buriaL ground consists of two tombs surrounded by a poured concrete platform raised a few inches above ground Level. The tombs are enclosed by a high iron fence, all of which is set in a grove of trees. The limestone slab resting on a low brick base marks the grave of (1630-1696), Major General and member of the Council for Virginia and progenitor of the Custis family in America. However, his grave is overshadowed by the box-like marble tomb of John Custis IV with its pyramidal top and drapery carvings on the long sides surrounding the inscriptions. On the east end of the tomb is carved the Chstis family crest, while an elaborate design on the west end uses a human skull motif set within a shield.

The original Arlington house of the Cuatia family stood near the graveyard, probably to the south.

I'

J / 7

I.,

PERIOD (chtck One or More ma AppmprIal=) 0 Pra-Colvmbion l (7 16th Cehtury lath Csntvry 0 20th Ccnhrry 0 15th Canhry 17th Century 0 191h Cmty

SPEC! FI C D4T E(s) (Zf ApplicaWs and

AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE (sack One a -re em Ampttr(r) Urbon Pluming Abor iginol u Edvc&ar 0 Pol~tical 0 Pmhistoric 0 Engimeting RsllgidPbi. -1 (Spaelk) (7 H1srutie 0 lndm~ losophr History Aqicvltum 0 lnvan6c-n 0 Science 0 Arehlketwo 0 Landscape a Sculpture oh Architechre [3 SPc~o~/H~nnun- 0 Cmmsrcm 0 Librobre ifmian Communicaiians Military 0 Theoter

0 Conservation Music 0 f mnsporto~ion

STATEMENT. OF 516~lFICANCE The land's historic associations make it one of the most significant unexcavated colonial sites in Virginia. The Custis family was one of the more notable Virginia families, and its descendants include the wife of General Robert E. Lee and 'the adopted grandchildren of George Washivto . The progenitor of the Custis family was Major General John Custis (1630- I L696), whose tomb is one of Lhe two remaining ones in the graveyard. Custis came to Virginia circa 1650 and established his seat at Arlington on the Eastern Shore. He became a man of importance, and by the time of his death had served on the Council of Virginia and as major-general of Virginia. One of his descendants, George Parke Custis, grandson of , was to name his plantation Arlington, in honor of his ancestral home, and this in turn was later to be turned into Arlington National Cemetery.

At his death in 1696, General Custis left Arlington to his grandson, John Custis ZV (circa 1679-circa 1750), whose elaborate tomb is the other extant one in the graveyard. John Custis IV was the son of another John Custis (1653-1713), who served as a member of the Council and as major- general of Virginia. John Custis IV was a man of prominence, carrying on the family tradition of serving as a member of the Council. He is also remembered for his tempestuous marriage with Frances Parke, the daughter of who died while governor of the Leeward Islands. Custis was also an outstanding gardener and conducted many botanical experiments pn the grounds of his house in Williamsburg. His son, was to be the first husband of Martha Washington, and his great-great- granddaughter, Mary Anne Randolph Custis, was to marry Robert E. Lee.

The use of skull motifs on the marble grave marker of John Custis IV can be found on some other funerary sculpture in Virginia, but it is certainly much more rare here than in New England. This finely carved monument is important also because of its remarkable state of preservation and because it is signed by its maker, WilLiam Colley of Fenchurch Street, London. f 9. MAJOR BlBLlOGRAPHtCAL REFERENCES 5. - .. , , 4 - 1 Whitelaw, Ralph T., ~irninia's Eastern Shore. 2 vols. Goucester, Mass.: Peter Smith, 1968. Robertson, John William, ----On Land and Sea. Onancock, Va,: The Eastern Shore News, Inc., 1962.

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1 I . . . . 1,jo: :GEOGRAPHICAL- DATA , , . . , . b : -...,., . -,- LATITUDE AHO LONGITUDE c~ORDINATES' -'- -- LLTITUDE AND LONGITUOE COORDlNIrE9 .DEFIN'NG THE CENTER OF A OEFlNlNC I,RECTAN=+E LOtATINt THE PRPPERTY 0 ,. ,, , b a '. OF LESS fC(hd-t&~ ACRES . CORNER LATITUDE , ,. . L~NC~~.C(DE~r, :":: 3 LATI,TUD~ 1 r !I . -.CONG$ T~)DE,.

Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds Dagraer Minutas bcond~ NW 0 - 0 37" 13' 44' 76" 00' 14' N E 0 . 0 SE. O m , . . - ,. . .. SW,0 0 , APPROX(MATE ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY: 1 acre

ILlsr ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OV~RLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES

STATE: CODE COUNrV CODE

STATE: -0;~ COUNTY CODE

- I STATE: CODE COUNTY CODE

STATE: COUNTY- CODE

I I , -. --- I [1'1., -FORM PREPARED BY .-. NAME AND TITLE. Staff, Virginia Historic- Landmarks Commission, James W. Moody, Jr.. Dire- ORGAN1 ZA TION DATE

toric Landmarks Commission-.---

Street---.- State Office Buildine T~TATE CODE 1 Richmond I 45 r12. STATE LIAISON OFFICER C$RTIF~CA.IION %O&AL REGISTER YEIkIFfCATIO.N

. a . . . . As (hi. des~gnaledState 1,laison Ofllcer lor the Ne- I hereby cerlify that this property is included in the lions1 I-lisroric Preservation Act of 19% (Public Law Ffatiocl~fRegister. . 894(jS),1 hereby notnknole this property lor inclu~~otl in the ~oti"na1Re~istcr end ~ercilythat it has heen ( evaluated according to the cr~teriaand procetbres set 11 I I <*,,A by II(Y Natlnnal Perk ~ervire,'tile r6;orn)ilcaded Chief, Olfice of Archeology and Historic Pr;.ervation 1 ! :e\c,vf significance of this nornlnation is: 1 Zlational 3 State Local J - L J !.~#. i

ATTEST: Dr. Edward P. Alexander, Chairman ,, .,.,,,,Virginia Historic Landmarks Corran. Keeper 01 The National Regisler 1 Date June 2, 1969 Date