Lads in plaid:
Shirt lifters:
Happy Fourth, fellas!
One of the prime viewing spots for watching the fireworks on the national mall is from the Virginia Potomac River shoreline. Your blogger lived for a time in a Virginia highrise with a view of the Lincoln Memorial and Kennedy Center, not to mention the Washington Monument. Our building had a 12th-story rooftop gathering space, and trust me, there was no better spot after dark on the fourth of July.
We were across the street from the Marine Memorial (Iwo Jima) and Fort Myer (Army), which has a complicated history, described at the end of this post:
Polo Players at Fort Myer
Auriel Bessemer 1940
Auriel Bessemer (1909-1986) painted
seven murals to adorn the main post office in Arlington, VA. They
depicted local scenes of northern Virginia, such as apple picking and
picnicking at Great Falls. Bessemer’s work was funded by a U.S.
government New Deal arts project that ran from 1933 to 1942, in which
out-of-work artists were paid to provide high quality art to adorn
newly-built public buildings, such as libraries and post offices (thank
you, FDR). Bessemer, a local artist, was paid $800 for the murals, which
were completed in 1940.
But what about those polo players? As many as 1,500 horses were stabled at Fort Myer from 1887 to 1949, and Army horsemanship became an important part of Washington's official and social life. Until his retirement to his estate in Leesburg, VA, General George C. Marshall (1880-1959) rode horses at Fort Myer for pleasure.
Today two dozen horses are still stabled at Fort Myer to pull caissons for burials at Arlington National Cemetery, which adjoins the fort. Fort Myer is situated on the Virginia shore of the Potomac River, and its high elevation provides a commanding view of our nation’s capital.
Trivia: Fort Myer’s Pedigree
The Virginia estate owned by the family of Mary Anna Randolph was called Arlington Heights. She was the granddaughter of George Washington Parke Custis, who was the grandson of Martha Washington. G.W.P. Custis, George Washington’s adopted step-grandson, had been raised at Mt. Vernon and lived in NYC with the “first family” when George Washington was president. In 1831 Mary Anna Randolph married Robert E. Lee at her family’s Arlington Heights mansion, which had been built by her grandfather (GWP Custis) over a 16-year period, from1802 to 1818. Lee subsequently helped rescue the property (now called the Custis-Lee Mansion) from financial difficulties in 1859. When the Lees were unable to pay their personal property taxes in person in 1861 (the Civil War kept them away), the federal government confiscated the estate for military purposes. Fort Whipple was built on the property to defend the Union capital across the river. In 1867 this fort was renamed Fort Myer in honor of Brigadier General Albert J. Myer, commander of the fort. The Custis-Lee mansion has been restored and is now open to the public. Today Fort Myer is also home to Pershing’s Own (U.S. Army Band) and the U.S. Army Chorus.
But what about those polo players? As many as 1,500 horses were stabled at Fort Myer from 1887 to 1949, and Army horsemanship became an important part of Washington's official and social life. Until his retirement to his estate in Leesburg, VA, General George C. Marshall (1880-1959) rode horses at Fort Myer for pleasure.
Today two dozen horses are still stabled at Fort Myer to pull caissons for burials at Arlington National Cemetery, which adjoins the fort. Fort Myer is situated on the Virginia shore of the Potomac River, and its high elevation provides a commanding view of our nation’s capital.
Trivia: Fort Myer’s Pedigree
The Virginia estate owned by the family of Mary Anna Randolph was called Arlington Heights. She was the granddaughter of George Washington Parke Custis, who was the grandson of Martha Washington. G.W.P. Custis, George Washington’s adopted step-grandson, had been raised at Mt. Vernon and lived in NYC with the “first family” when George Washington was president. In 1831 Mary Anna Randolph married Robert E. Lee at her family’s Arlington Heights mansion, which had been built by her grandfather (GWP Custis) over a 16-year period, from1802 to 1818. Lee subsequently helped rescue the property (now called the Custis-Lee Mansion) from financial difficulties in 1859. When the Lees were unable to pay their personal property taxes in person in 1861 (the Civil War kept them away), the federal government confiscated the estate for military purposes. Fort Whipple was built on the property to defend the Union capital across the river. In 1867 this fort was renamed Fort Myer in honor of Brigadier General Albert J. Myer, commander of the fort. The Custis-Lee mansion has been restored and is now open to the public. Today Fort Myer is also home to Pershing’s Own (U.S. Army Band) and the U.S. Army Chorus.
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