The Emerging Community
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Defending the Chesapeake Bay

The Emerging Community, also, Defending the Chesapeake Bay. Welcome to Fort Story. , The Emerging Community , The combination of lighthouses, life-saving stations and the Virginia pilots have guided and assisted many a mariner from the earliest days as they enter and exit the waters of the Chesapeake Bay. They were joined at Cape Henry by a station on the Weather Services and in 1890, the Cape Henry Park and Land Company was chartered to acquire Cape Henry for development and timber interests. The area was commonly referred to as "the desert.", A small community to support these federal activities began to evolve, but the only access was down the beach at low tide. life was made easier by the establishment of a rail line to both Virginia Beach and Norfolk in 1902. A number of residences were built in addition to the Seabreeze Hotel, stores and a post office. O'Keefe's Tavern opened in the area presently occupied by the Cape Henry Cross and drew large crowds., There were two communities that were established at Cape Henry before the arrival of the U.S. Army. The first, centered around the Hygeia Hotel with a number of substantial buildings, was located to the seaward of the present day post headquarters. The second was northwest of the lighthouses adjacent to the original 300 plus acres at Fort Story. The Cape Henry Syndicate had platted out this land and laid out numbered streets. A number of small summer homes were built in addition to St. Theresa's Chapel. The men living at Cape Henry full-time were generally employed as farmers, fishermen or in the retail trade. The government employees served at the lighthouse, Weather Station, or Life-Saving Station. Their families lived in a number of wooden buildings surrounding those operation., During the Great Depression, the government sent men of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to build roads, trails and cabins in the adjacent Seashore State Park. Some of the men lived in the barracks at Fort Story., With the emerging threat of war in Europe, the Army expanded its ownership of land at Cape Henry. Through condemnation and land sales, the government took over the civilian community. The Coast Guard Station relocated to Little Creek, and the military assumed control of a number of civilian buildings. Today, only a handful of wooden structures remain to tell the story of life at Cape Henry., [Captions:] , In 1918 a brick observatory building was erected to house the weather station at Cape Henry. During World War II, the military used the building as a Harbor Entrance Control Point. The station was closed in May 1969 and the building then served as officers' quarters., The brick and granite church designated as St. Theresa's Chapel was dedicated in October 1924. It served the civilian community until prior to World War II when it was closed. It was later renovated by the Army which had taken over the land. The chapel stands today on Atlantic Avenue., These are the two life-saving stations at Cape Henry. The structure on the left was built in 1874. The second generation station was completed in 1904. The second station was relocated to Little Creek prior to World War II, because it was in the line of fire of the coast artillery guns., An August 1885 photograph titled "Leaving Cape Henry Light Station." The wide-track wheels on the cart enabled it to maneuver on soft sand. The construction of the railroad from Virginia Beach and Norfolk in 02 made access to Cape Henry a lot easier., This postcard depicts the 1903 train station at Cape Henry. It was central to the emerging community that was beginning to grow. Later, a post office opened in the building. The rail line was discontinued in 1950 but the building is used by the Army., Defending the Chesapeake Bay , At its mouth, the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay spans some 17 miles from Cape Henry to Cape Charles. This waterway provides access to the important ports of Baltimore and Hampton Roads. Over the years there has been a need to defend the coast and waterways of Virginia. It started with the first English settlers., The first defenses stem from the construction of a fort at Jamestown by the English in 1607. Later, another fortification was built at Point Comfort. Much later, the Revolutionary War brought about a revival in coastal defense. Fort Nelson was built on the Elizabeth River near Portsmouth. A fort was also built on the Norfolk side to protect the inner harbors. While the siege of Yorktown was underway, Admiral deGrasse of the French fleet took up a position at the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay and prevented the British fleet from relieving Lord Cornwallis., Again, against an exposed American coast, a British fleet entered the unprotected mouth of Hampton Roads in 1813. In the following year, another British fleet sailed up the Chesapeake Bay and landed the army behind Washington. After its departure, the United States started formidable construction. By 1823, Fort Monroe at Old Point Comfort was compete, and work started on the foundation of the adjacent Fort Calhoun in the harbor., Following the Civil War, the defenses of the Chesapeake Bay were nonexistent until the 1880s. when more modern artillery was emplaced at Fort Monroe. With the outbreak of World War I, the area harbor defenses expanded and it was determined to project the firepower seaward to the Virginia Capes. Small caliber guns were posted at both Cape Henry and Cape Charles. Even with that, the width of the entrance made effective defense impossible. After the war, the artillery garrisons were demobilized, but development of coastal artillery continued., With the advent of World War II, modern coast artillery was emplaced on post with guns ranging from 6-inch to the big 16-inch guns. With the new weapons and a mine filed across the bay, the Chesapeake Bay was effectively protected from an enemy. in 1942, a German submarine challenged the defense but never gained entrance., [Captions:]
A World War I recruiting poster for the Coast Artillery Corps. The Coast Artillery largely served in fixed fortifications at most of the continental harbors and also picked up the mission of aircraft artillery., A concrete platform of a 6-inch Model 1900 in the surf off the beach. This battery and a battery of 5-inch guns were emplaced in the dunes during World War I. They were obsolete when mounted. Additional guns were mounted on Fisherman Island at Cape Charles., In addition to coast artillery, the principal weapon used in fixed-location seacost defense was underwater mines. This "mining casemate" was built in 1922 and controlled some of the mines set out at the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay., [Sidebar on each side of the marker:] , Welcome to Fort Story, home to a variety of U.S. Army and Navy units. The installation's 1,451 acres are presently used for training by the Army's 7th Sustainment Brigade, Naval Amphibious forces and Special Operations forces. The post also serves as home for Army and Navy Reserve units in addition to other military activities., We hope you find your visit to Cape Henry both educational and inspirational.