McKee Grave is a public artwork by an unknown artist, located at the

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It serves as the final resting place of First Lieutenant Thomas Hudson McKee and his wife.Burial Detain: McKee, Thomas M (Section 1, Grave 141-D)
– ANC Explorer

Description

This grave marker is made of marble and has a figure of a robed

angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

as its centerpiece. The angel is mounted on a two-stepped base that has a large cross on the rear section of the base, behind the angel. The angel holds a bouquet of flowers in her proper left hand at waist length and her proper right arm is raised and bent upwards. She is missing her hand. The cross has a plaque that the angel stands next to. The grave is inscribed: MCKEE. File:McKee Grave (ca. 1890) Control IAS VA000196) Back.jpg, Back File:McKee Grave (ca. 1890) Control IAS VA000196) Detail.jpg, Detail File:McKee Grave (ca. 1890) Control IAS VA000196) detail2.jpg, Detail

Information

Thomas Hudson McKee served in the 1st West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment (3 Year) in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. He was an aide to Brigadier General

Benjamin Franklin Kelley Benjamin Franklin Kelley (April 10, 1807 – July 16, 1891) was an American soldier who served as a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He played a prominent role in several military campaigns in West Virginia and ...

who is buried behind McKee. Born in

Washington County, Pennsylvania Washington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 209,349. Its county seat is Washington. Washington County is part of the Pittsburgh, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county i ...

and working as a farmer, he enlisted in the Army September 12, 1861 in Independence, Pennsylvania. He was promoted to Second Lieutenant on November 1, 1862. On September 11, 1863 he was captured by Confederate soldiers at Moorefield, West Virginia. His wife, Nancy Matilda Funk was born in Washington County on January 14, 1851 and died in 1927. The couple married on October 14, 1868 in

Mifflintown, Pennsylvania Mifflintown is a borough in and the county seat of Juniata County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 842 at the 2020 census. Geography Mifflintown is located at (40.570728, -77.395488). According to the United States Census Bur ...

. Next to the McKee grave is the gravesite of the McKees' daughter, Molly. Molly was not eligible to be buried in Arlington, however, Thomas McKee called on his friendship with President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

for special permission to bury Molly at the family plot.

Acquisition

This grave is located in Section 1 and is placed in front of the Kelley grave. Rumors of the time state that when McKee died in 1924, his wife, Nancy Matilda Funk McKee, had the large memorial built to intentionally block the view of General Kelley's grave.

Condition

This sculpture was surveyed in 1995 as part of the

Save Outdoor Sculpture! Save Outdoor Sculpture! (SOS!) was a community-based effort to identify, document, and conserve outdoor sculpture in the United States. The program was initiated in 1989 and ended in 1999. History Save Outdoor Sculpture! was initiated by Herit ...

program and was described as needing treatment urgently. The proper right hand of the angel is missing.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mckee Grave 1890 sculptures Arlington National Cemetery Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Marble sculptures in Virginia Monuments and memorials in Virginia Outdoor sculptures in Virginia Sculptures of angels