Cape Henry Lighthouses

Cape Henry Lighthouse
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Virginia Landmarks Register
The new and old lighthouses at Cape Henry
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Location	Virginia Beach, Virginia
Coordinates	36°55′32″N 76°0′30″W / 36.92556°N 76.00833°W / 36.92556; -76.00833
Built	Old Lighthouse, 1792; New lighthouse, 1881
Architect	Federal Government
MPS	Light Stations of the United States MPS
NRHP reference No.	66000910, 02001439
VLR No.	134-0007, 134-0079
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	October 15, 1966, December 2, 2002[2]
Designated NHL	April 15, 1970[3]
Designated VLR	September 9, 1969, September 10, 2003[1]

The Cape Henry Lighthouses are a pair of lighthouses at Cape Henry, the landform marking the southern entrance to Chesapeake Bay in the U.S. state of Virginia. The location has long been important for the large amount of ocean-going shipping traffic for the harbors, its rivers, and shipping headed to ports on the bay. The original lighthouse was the first authorized by the U.S. government, dating from 1792. It was also the first federal construction project under the Constitution, for an original contract amount of $15,200 (an additional $2,500 was required to finish the lighthouse). A second lighthouse was built and completed in 1881 a short distance away after concern arose about the stability of the first. Both towers of the light station were designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970.