The former Custis-Lee Mansion became Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial in 1972. It was built in 1802 on a bluff just across the Potomac River from Washington D.C. It was occupied by Lee’s family for 30 years until Lee left in 1861. The Federals took over in 1864 and started Arlington Cemetery. The first photo shows the front porch in 1861 with Mathew Brady in a top hat. The second photo is dated 1864.