Cape Henry Light
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Cape Henry Lighthouse
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Two Lighthouses at Cape Henry
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| Location | Virginia Beach, Virginia |
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| Coordinates | 36°55′32″N 76°0′30″W / 36.92556°N 76.00833°WCoordinates: 36°55′32″N 76°0′30″W / 36.92556°N 76.00833°W |
| Built | Old Lighthouse, 1792; New lighthouse, 1881 |
| Architect | Federal Government |
| MPS | Light Stations of the United States MPS |
| NRHP Reference # | 66000910, 02001439 |
| VLR # | 134-0007, 134-0079 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966, December 2, 2002 |
| Designated NHL | April 15, 1970 |
| Designated VLR | September 9, 1969, September 10, 2003 |
The Cape Henry Lighthouse is a lighthouse at Cape Henry, the landform marking the southern entrance to Chesapeake Bay in the U.S. state of Virginia. The location has long been important for the large amount of ocean-going shipping traffic for the harbors, its rivers, and shipping headed to ports on the bay. The original lighthouse was the first authorized by the U.S. government, dating from 1792. It was also the first federal construction project under the Constitution, for an original contract amount of $15,200 (an additional $2,500 was required to finish the lighthouse). A second lighthouse was built and completed in 1881 a short distance away after concern arose about the stability of the first. Both towers of the light station were designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970.
The first work of the new U.S. Federal government, the first Cape Henry lighthouse was built of Aquia and Rappahannock sandstone by John McComb, Jr. and was completed in October, 1792. McComb was one of the architects involved in the construction of New York City Hall and would design other lighthouses. The lighthouse's design was based on the 1767 Cape Henlopen Light. The lighthouse was damaged by Confederate forces during the American Civil War, but was repaired by Union forces in 1863, who depended on the light for navigation. In the 1870s, concerns about the condition and safety of the old Lighthouse at Cape Henry following a lightning strike that caused large cracks in the structure led to the construction of a new, taller, lighthouse at Cape Henry (pictured to the right) in 1881, which stands 350 feet to the northeast of the original tower. The old tower remained standing, used as a daymark and as a basis for triangulation. The lighthouse was fully automated in 1983 and remains in use today.
In 1798, Benjamin Latrobe visited Cape Henry Lighthouse and described it as "an octangular truncated pyramid of eight sides, rising 90 feet to the light..." The Old Cape Henry Lighthouse is 26 feet in diameter at its base, and 16 feet at its top. It was built with Aquia Creek sandstone from the same source as the White House.
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