Image: Grave of Robert Peary - rear base - Arlington National Cemetery - 2011

Description: Closeup of the rear of the base of the memorial over the grave of Robert Edwin Peary and his wife, Josephine Diebitsch Peary, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, in the United States. U.S. Navy Admiral Robert E. Peary was accompanied on his trip by Matthew Alexander Henson, an African America, and is credited with making the first successful trip by non-Eskimos to the geographic North Pole. They reached the pole on April 6, 1909, accompanied by four Eskimos: Ooqueah, Ootah, Egingwah, and Seegloo. Peary was interred at Arlington three days after his death on February 20, 1920. Originally, he was buried in Section 3, Lot 1853-B. Due to the limited amount of space in this section, Peary was reinterred in Section 8, Special Lot S-15 -- which is where his body lies now. Peary himself designed the memorial. It consists of a square concrete foundation, a smaller granite foundation, anirregular octagonal pediment, and bronze clawed feet on which is a 6 foot wide granite globe. The globe is tilted so that the geographic North Pole faces due north. A three inch wide bronze star marks the pole. The globe is of white granite quarried in Maine. The smaller sides of the octagonal base are inscribed with bas-relief Seals of the United States Navy. On the front of the octagonal base is a dedication to Peary. On the rear is the Latin inscription "Inveniam Viam Aut Faciam" ("I shall find a way or make one"). On the right-hand side is carved his wife's name and biograpical information. The memorial was unveiled on April 6, 1922.
Title: Grave of Robert Peary - rear base - Arlington National Cemetery - 2011
Credit: Own work
Author: Tim1965
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
License: CC BY-SA 3.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
Attribution Required?: Yes