We arrived at Outdoor World Williamsburg Resort in Williamsburg, VA. On 04/03/2013 we drove to Fort Story in Virgina Beach, VA to see The Old and New Cape Henry Lighthouses on 04/07/2013. The old masonry light at Cape Henry was a long time coming. For seventy years, the Colonial Assembly of Virginia heed and hawed, passing resolutions and attempting to convince reluctant authorities in Maryland and Great Britain to assist in the construction of a beacon at this vital cape. Standing at the juncture of Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, Cape Henry is the entry point to the ports of Norfolk, Newport News, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. In 1772, the Maryland assembly got on board as well, and the project was underway. Workers’ quarters and stables were built and over 4,000 tons of stone were delivered to Cape Henry. In the summer of 1775, however, the initial allotment of funds was nearly depleted and an additional 5,000 pounds was requested. At this point, the Revolutionary War intervened, and the valuable stones lay forgotten and buried in drifts of sand while more pressing matters were attended to. In many respects, Old Cape Henry lighthouse is inextricably linked with the birth of our nation. The Aquia sandstone for its base was gathered from the same Virginia quarries that provided material for Mount Vernon, the U.S. Capitol Building, and the White House. At the first session of the first Congress in 1789, an act was passed which placed the lighthouse service under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Treasury. Included in this act was the provision for the construction of Cape Henry Lighthouse, giving it the distinction of being the first lighthouse ordered and financed by the federal government. The Virginia Assembly, mindful of its own difficulties in building the lighthouse, moved rapidly and ceded two acres in the County of Princess Anne to the United States. President Washington himself took an interest in the construction, noting in a 1790 diary entry that he had spoken with Alexander Hamilton (the Secretary of the Treasury), “respecting the appointment of Superintendents of the Light House, Buoys, etc., and for building one at Cape Henry.” The picture is of the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse.
New Cape Henry Lighthouse is adorned with one of the most distinctive daymarks to be found on a lighthouse anywhere in the world. Its stark octagonal tower alternates between white and black on its various faces, and midway up this pattern is offset by one face, producing a checkerboard-like effect. The unique coloring distinguishes Cape Henry from the all-white tower of Cape Charles to the north and the redbrick tower at Currituck Beach to the south. In July 1887, a system of magneto-electric call bells with an arranged code of signals was installed at the station to connect the tower, fog signal building, and dwellings, and in April 1888, a 79° red sector was placed in the lens to cover dangerous shoals at the entrance to the bay. In 1892, a brick oil house, capable of storing 500 five-gallon oil cans was erected near the lighthouse along with a summer kitchen. Picture is of the New Cape Henry Lighthouse.
While on Fort Story we also visited First Landing National Monument. Take, for example, the fact that Ft. Story is the site of The First Landing. In 1607, Christopher Newport’s expedition came ashore at this location and stayed awhile before finding the site that would eventually become the Jamestown Colony. This is the first English settlement in the New World and predates the more famous Plymouth Rock landing by 13 years. The site is commemorated by a monument consisting of a stone cross. Meanwhile, the Plymouth Rock Pilgrims are regaled in song and story in every elementary school classroom in America. Apparently, Massachusetts has a better PR department than Virginia. And that’s not all. In 1781, the most important naval battle in American history took place right offshore. Oddly enough, it didn’t include any Americans. A French fleet under the command of Admiral Francois de Grasse defeated a British fleet commanded by Admiral Sir Thomas Graves and thus prevented the escape of a British Army under Lord Cornwallis at nearby Yorktown. Five weeks later, George Washington accepted Cornwallis’ surrender. Most Americans do not know of this crucial naval battle, let alone the name of the Frenchman who won it. In 1976, the French government donated a statue of de Grasse, and it stands at the fort’s memorial park. The picture is of The Stone Cross.
We moved on 04/20/2013 to Thousand Trails Chesapeake Bay Resort in Gloucester, VA. We visited Battle of the Hook Site in Hayes, VA and Stingray Point Lighthouse (Replica) in Deltaville, VA. One of the forgotten episodes of the American Revolution took place before the climactic battle that ended the war. In October 1781, while at Yorktown, British General Cornwallis sent a force under the infamous Colonel Banastre Tarleton to Gloucester Point to protect his flank and secure an escape route. A contingent of Virginia militia and French soldiers met them at the Hook (Guinea Road at Route 17) and defeated them. The Battle of the Hook, as it became known, eliminated a means of escape for British troops and contributed to their surrender weeks later. The picture is of Battle of the Hook Monument.
