Near Port Haywood in Mathews County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

New Point Comfort Lighthouse

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, April 25, 2010

1. New Point Comfort Lighthouse Marker

Inscription. Standing at the end of what was once the southernmost peninsula in Mathews County, now surrounded by water, the lighthouse marks the entrance to Mobjack Bay. Authorized by Congress in 1801, this 55-foot-high sandstone tower with its spiraling stone steps to the lighthouse cage, was built in 1805 by Elzy Burroughs, the first keeper. Except for a brief time during the Civil War, the light operated from 1806 until 1963. It is the third-oldest lighthouse still standing on Chesapeake Bay. A keeper's dwelling once stood next to the lighthouse on a five-acre tract.

Erected 1996 by Department of Historic Reources. (Marker Number N-89.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Man-Made Features • Notable Buildings • War, US Civil • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Lighthouses, and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1801.

Location. 37° 19.884′ N, 76° 17.17′ W. Marker is near Port Haywood, Virginia, in Mathews County. It is at the intersection of Lighthouse

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Road (Route 600) and Old Bayside Drive (Virginia Route 14), on the right when traveling east on Lighthouse Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Port Haywood VA 23138, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on the Middle Peninsula

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Tidewater,

in the Chesapeake Bay Region,

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 least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Kingston Parish (approx. 6.1 miles away); Captain Sally L. Tompkins, C.S.A. Monument (approx. 6.1 miles away); Tompkins Cottage, circa 1820 (approx. 7.3 miles away); Fort Cricket Hill (approx. 7.3 miles away); The Old Thomas James Store

Point Rd (facing east) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, April 25, 2010

2. Point Rd (facing east)

(approx. 7.3 miles away); Civil War In Mathews County (approx. 7.3 miles away); Mathews County Confederate Monument (approx. 7.3 miles away); Captain Sally L. Tompkins, C.S.A. (approx. 7.3 miles away).

Also see . . .
1. New Point Comfort History. (Submitted on April 26, 2010.)
2. New Point Comfort Light. Wikipedia article about New Point Comfort Lighthouse. (Submitted on April 27, 2010, by Jeff Conner of Norfolk, Virginia.)

3. New Point Comfort Lighthouse. National Register of Historic Places (Submitted on November 10, 2021.)

New Point Comfort Lighthouse at Mobjack Bay image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, April 25, 2010

3. New Point Comfort Lighthouse at Mobjack Bay

In 1933, a hurricane washed away the remains of a land connection leaving the tower isolated.

New Point Comfort Lighthouse image. Click for full size.

United States Coast Guard

4. New Point Comfort Lighthouse

Credits. This page was last revised on November 10, 2021. It was originally submitted on April 26, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,514 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 26, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.