This lighthouse was built in 1806 and is made of sandstone with a stone spiral stairway. Overall height of the lighthouse is 58-feet and its top rises 63-feet above sea level. The original light was provided by nine lamps and reflectors. In 1855 the lamps were replaced by a fourth-order Fresnel lens.
In 1802, at a cost of $8750, the original keepers house was built. However, during the war of 1812, the British Navy occupied the lighthouse and keepers house. They burned down the keepers house before they left. After the war, a new two story keepers house was built. Then, in 1919 it was torn down after the light was automated.
In 1933, hurricanes created the channel that separates the lighthouse from the main land.
Need for the lighthouse light was replaced in 1963 by an offshore beacon. The lighthouse was then decommissioned and became a day marker. The Coast Guard was responsible for operation of the lighthouse from 1939 to 1968.
The local citizens succeeded in having this lighthouse put on the Virginia Historic register in 1972, and it was designated as a state and national landmark. I visited this stately old lighthouse in the year 2000.
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