CHARLIE: Captain John Smith would've come through what today is Rosslyn in 1608.

But there's no archeology showing the real settlements in Rosslyn before the early 19th century.

The Alexandria people had the idea of creating what became the Aqueduct bridge that would allow barges to be transported across Potomac in a water trough atop the bridge with a carriage path next door to it.

And it was started in the early 1830s and it was completed around 1843.

Then, you have the Civil War where Fort Corcoran was quickly assembled in 1862 to guard the Aqueduct bridge to prevent Confederates from using it.

The Union planners knew that they were very capable of sacking the nation's capital, so they had to guard every entranceway.

♪ ♪ MARK: Fort Corcoran was one of many forts that were built here in the Arlington area, but it was here at Arlington House that was an important communication center between these different fort sites.

This was originally established by a man named George Washington Parke Custis, back in 1802.

He moved here with his wife and their daughter, Mary Anna Randolph Custis is going to actually marry in 1832 in the house, young Lieutenant Robert E. Lee.

So it was here at Arlington House in 1861 that Robert E. Lee is going to face the decision of whether to resign from the army or not.

He signs his letter on April 20th, 1861, leaving the United States Army.

A couple of days later, he's going to leave Arlington House never to return.

The following month, Union soldiers are going to cross the Potomac, come up here, they're going to occupy the house and grounds.

The house becomes a headquarters to the Union Generals.

And then later in an act of spite and revenge to the Lee family, they're going to start burying dead union soldiers here at the House.

Arlington House today is still at the center of a living cultural resource in Arlington National Cemetery.

It's become the most important burying ground in the entire nation.

It's a cemetery for those who have given their lives for the country and those who have served this country with distinction.

Arlington House was restored by the Army to be what it was like in 1860, right before the American Civil War.

On the north side of Arlington House is the kitchen garden.

This is set up to be what a kitchen garden was like right at this spot back in the 1860s.

It was farmed by the enslaved people here at Arlington House.

They would grow food for the Lee family and they would grow food to bring down to Washington DC to sell.

Today we're growing food there except we are donating the food that we're gathering here to the Arlington Food Bank.

And it's maintained by National Park Service volunteers who come here to help grow the food, to show people the plants and vegetables and fruits that they would've grown here.

Irish potatoes, carrots, cabbage, fruit trees lining the path.

All of this is actually very historically accurate.

This is close to what would've been here back in 1860.

So it's just neat to see the amount of thought that goes into this garden.

People can connect with their history here, but then also to have that added benefit of knowing that you're doing something to help the community as well.

♪ ♪ (doorbell)