Fort Story in Virginia Beach, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Cape Henry 1881: Retirement and Replacement

By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 13, 2025

1. Cape Henry 1881: Retirement and Replacement Marker

Inscription.
The 1792 tower was beginning to show its age by the 1870s. Cracks that are now known to be superficial began to appear. The second-order Fresnel lens was no longer producing enough light for mariners and shipwrecks were increasing.

In 1878, Congress appropriated funds to build a new lighthouse at Cape Henry. It would be built in cast iron sections and shipped on a barge from Philadelphia to be assembled on site.

a first order Fresnel lens was delivered from France. This new lens projected light 19 miles out into the Chesapeake Bay.

On December 15, 1881, the New Cape Henry Lighthouse was lit for the first time by Jay Edwards. Mr. Edwards was the last lighthouse keeper at the original Cape Lighthouse and the first keeper of the Cape Henry Light Station.

New Technology at the New Cape Henry Lighthouse:

1922: The new Cape Henry lamp is converted to electricity.
1984: The Lighthouse is fully automated.
1999: The last light keeper retires from Cape Henry, the last manned light station in Virginia.

Erected by Preservation Virginia; City of Virginia Beach Virginia.

Topics and series. This historical

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marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Lighthouses series list. A significant historical date for this entry is December 15, 1881.

Location. 36° 55.55′ N, 76° 0.482′ W. Marker is in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It is in Fort Story. It can be reached from the intersection of Sicily Road and Antic Avenue, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 583 Atlantic Ave, Virginia Beach VA 23459, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Hampton Roads,

specifically in Coastal Virginia,

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Tidewater,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 13, 2025

2. Cape Henry 1881: Retirement and Replacement Marker

The New Cape Henry Lighthouse is visible in the background.

least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Old Cape Henry Lighthouse (here, next to this marker); First Landing (here, next to this marker); Aids to Navigation (here, next to this marker); First Public Works Project of the United States Government (a few steps from this marker); Through the Years (a few steps from this marker); The Life of a Keeper (a few steps from this marker); Design and Construction (a few steps from this marker); The Need for a Lighthouse (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Virginia Beach.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 21, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 21, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 149 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 21, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.