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Virginia: Tidewater and Piedmont » Eastern Shore » Northampton County » Custis Tombs

Custis Tombs

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c. 1750. VA 644, 2.1 miles west from U.S. 13
  • Custis Tombs, with detail of carving (Virginia Stetson)

One of the most important examples of colonial funerary art, the site is owned by the APVA. The carving on the tomb of John Custis IV, including the family coat of arms, drapery, and a skull, was executed in London by one William Colley of Fenn Church Street. The tombs are near the site of the Custis family home, Arlington, after which George Washington named a plantation he owned in Fairfax County, which later became the site of Arlington House and Arlington Cemetery.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Richard Guy Wilson et al.
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Data

What's Nearby

Cape Charles
Oyster
Eyre Hall
Eastville

Citation

Richard Guy Wilson et al., "Custis Tombs", [Cape Charles, Virginia], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/VA-01-ES1.

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