Virginia - Newport News Middle Ground Lighthouse

The Newport News Middle Ground Lighthouse is located at Newport News, VA. It sits at the west end of the shoal, in the middle of Hampton Roads Harbor, Chesapeake Bay. It was built in 1891 and stands 29-feet high with a 21-foot diameter base. The lighthouse exterior is made of cast-iron and the inner walls are lined with brick and it contains five levels. The fourth-order Fresnel lens was automated in 1954, and then later replaced by a beacon.

At the time of my visit here in 2000, this was still an active lighthouse. I used a 500mm lens with 2x's coupler on my camera in order to get this picture.

Virginia - Thimble Shoal Lighthouse

The Thimble Shoal Lighthouse is located 2 miles offshore on the north side of the entrance to Hampton Roads Harbor and the Chesapeake Bay.

The first lighthouse built here was lit in Oct 1872 with the light atop a small cottage. It was destroyed by fire in 1880, and quickly rebuilt by Dec of that same year, and the beacon replaced by a fourth-order Fresnel lens. Over time, after being hit multiple times by various ships during bad weather, the last event in 1909 caused the lighthouse to burn down.

In 1914 this cast-iron lighthouse was built and stands 55-feet above the water. At the time of my visit here in 2000, this was still an active lighthouse. I saw it from Fort Monroe, VA, using a 500mm lens with 2X coupler.

Virginia - New Point Comfort Lighthouse

The New Point Comfort Lighthouse is located at the southernmost tip of Mathews County, VA. It juts into the water and serves as a boundary between Chesapeake and Mobjack Bays. This lighthouse is the third oldest surviving lighthouse on the Chesapeake Bay, surpassed only by those at Cape Henry and Old Point Comfort.

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.

Virginia - Old Point Comfort Lighthouse

The Old Point Comfort Lighthouse is located on Fort Monroe, VA. This octagonal shaped tower overlooks Hampton Roads Harbor and the Chesapeake Bay. It was built in 1802 of sandstone and stands 54-feet high. It's spiral staircase is made of hand-cut stone. Several oil lanterns originally provided the light which could be seen for approximately 14 miles out to sea. Years later, the oil lanterns were replaced with a fourth-order Fresnel lens. The lighthouse is the oldest standing structure at Fort Monroe.

During the War of 1812, the tower was used as a lookout by British invasion forces while they attacked Washington.

The adjacent house was the light-keeper's quarters. It was built in 1891 to replace the original keeper's dwelling. After the lighthouse was automated in 1975, keepers discontinued occupation of the house and it became property of the Army.

At the time of my visit here in 2000, the lighthouse was still an active navigational aid and property of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Virginia - New Cape Henry Lighthouse

The New Cape Henry Lighthouse is located 357 feet south east of the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse (Off picture - right) on Fort Story, VA, Military Reservation. More specific, it sits inside the Coast Guard Compound. This lighthouse was built in 1881 of cast-iron plates and stands 165-feet tall. The second-order Fresnel lens from the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse was removed and installed in this lighthouse. Its light had a focal plane of 157-feet and could be seen for almost 19 miles out to sea. In 1984 the light was replaced and the newer beacon automated .

This lighthouse has the most distinctive day-marks of any lighthouse in the world. The checkerboard markings of the octagonal tower alternate between white and black. Half way up the tower, the pattern changes from white to black making it appear as though the top half of the tower is slightly turned and misaligned with the bottom half. At the time of my visit here in 2000, this was an active light, and the lighthouse was not open to the public.