Virginia - Old Cape Henry Lighthouse

The Old Cape Henry Lighthouse is located at the south entrance to the Chesapeake Bay. The Fort Story, VA, Military Reservation encompasses the lighthouse grounds. This lighthouse is an octangular truncated pyramid of eight sides, rising 90-feet from the ground. It sits on a hill approximately 650 yards from the beach.

The lighthouse was built of sandstone which came from the same Virginia quarries that provided material for Mount Vernon, the U.S. Capital Building, and the White House. The original staircase was built of wood but after several years it became oil soaked, a fire hazard, and deteriorated. It was replaced by a cast-iron spiral staircase. Light projection for the lantern room was originally provided by a series of lamps strategically placed in the room. Those were eventually replaced by a second-order Fresnel lens. Years later, due to vertical cracks in the walls and fear the lighthouse would fall into the sea, it was closed in 1881 after construction of a new Cape Henry Lighthouse.

Obviously, the old lighthouse never fell, and in 1930 Congress transferred deed of the old tower and 1.77 acres of land to the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities. At the time of my visit here in 2000, the lighthouse was open to the public and received approximately 60,000 visitors annually.

Virginia - Cape Charles Lighthouse

The Cape Charles Lighthouse is located on Smith Island, VA. It sets on the north side of the entrance to Chesapeake Bay. This is the third lighthouse to be built on Smith Island.

That first lighthouse was built in 1828 of rubble stone and stood 55-feet high. The second was built in 1864 and made of brick. Its tower stood 83-feet high. Due to erosion, the remains of both of those lighthouses are under water.

This third lighthouse was built in 1895, and it has an iron center tube which contains the stairway leading up toward the top of the 191-foot tower. The tube is supported by eight giant iron legs which are barely visible in my picture. (Click on it and enlarge.) The lantern room housed a first order Fresnel lens, however it was replaced in 1963 with a rotating beacon and then automated. This lighthouse is the second tallest lighthouse in the United States.

At the time of my visit here in 2000, this was an active light. Access to this lighthouse's location is not easy. Due to the distance of the lighthouse from my location at the time, I felt fortunate to get this distant and unclear picture of the lighthouse using my 500mm lens with a 2X coupler.

New Jersey - Cape May Lighthouse

The Cape May Lighthouse is located at Cape May, NJ. It was built in 1859, and is the third known lighthouse to be built at Cape May Point. The first lighthouse was built in 1823, the second in 1847. The exact locations of those first two lighthouses are uncertain as they are now under water due to erosion.

This present lighthouse tower is 157-feet 6-inches tall and has 218 steps from ground to the top, with 199 of those steps in the tower's cast iron spiral staircase. The lighthouse has two separate walls. The outside wall is cone-shaped and is 13-feet 10-inches thick at the bottom, and 1-foot 6-inches thick at the top. The inside wall is a cylinder with 8.5 inch thick walls which support the spiral staircase. The walls were designed to withstand winds several times above hurricane force.

At the time of my visit here in 1997, the Coast Guard continued to operate the light as an active aid to navigation. The lantern room originally housed a first order Fresnel lens, but it was removed after World War II. It was replaced with a beacon type light. It is visible for 24-miles out to sea and flashes every 15 seconds. Ownership of the lighthouse was transferred to the State of New Jersey in 1992.

Three keepers, one head keeper and two assistants, and their families lived in dwellings at the lighthouse site. In 1938 the light was electrified and eliminated the need for keepers stationed at the tower.

In 1941 the lighthouse was darkened until 1945 because of WWII. The Atlantic coast was on blackout due to the presence of enemy submarine's.

A personal note: This lighthouse was the first one I saw of the over 300 lighthouses I've personally seen and photographed. I make reference to this lighthouse in my soon to be published book named "The Wickie."

New Jersey - East Point Lighthouse

The East Point Lighthouse is located at the mouth of the Maurice River, near Heislerville, NJ. It was built in 1849 and stands 40-feet high. Originally, it was named the Maurice River Lighthouse. It has guided mariners into the Maurice River from Delaware Bay for over 150 years. This lighthouse is New Jersey's second oldest lighthouse, and the last working land-based NJ lighthouse on the bay. It was darkened in 1941 during World War II. The light suffered from neglect until the Marice River Society was formed to save the historic landmark. Restoration efforts by the society prompted relighting by the Coast Guard in 1980. At the time of my visit here in 2001, this was an active light.

New Jersey - Romer Shoal Lighthouse

The Romer Shoal Lighthouse is located 2 miles north of the northern tip of Sandy Hook, NJ in the New York Harbor. The first light built here in 1838 was a day beacon . The above spark plug style lighthouse was built in 1898 and stands 54-feet high. At the time of my visit here in 2001, this was an active lighthouse.

New Jersey / New York - West Bank Shoal Lighthouse

The West Bank Shoal Lighthouse sets in New York Harbor. This spark plug style lighthouse was built in 1901 of cast iron and stands 55-feet tall. At the time of my visit here in 2001, this was an active lighthouse. I took this picture from the park in Fort Hancock, Sandy Hook, NJ, using a 500mm lens with 2X coupler.

New Jersey / New York - Old Orchard Shoal Lighthouse

The Old Orchard Shoal Lighthouse was located southeast of Staten Island, New York Harbor. This spark plug style lighthouse was built in 1893 of cast iron and stood 51-feet tall. In 1955 the light was automated. At the time of my visit here in 2001, this was an active light. I took this picture from the park in Fort Hancock, Sandy Hook, NJ, using a 500mm lens with 2X coupler. Although not a quality picture, I know that I will not get a chance to take another picture.

The following information was provided by Lighthouse Friends - In Oct 2012, Hurricane Sandy completely destroyed the Old Orchard Shoal Lighthouse.