Spotlight On: Cape Charles

This past week, I had the opportunity to travel from Norfolk, VA across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel to the Delmarva Peninsula. When crossing the Bay Bridge Tunnel, one can view the Cape Charles Lighthouse from the highway on a clear day and thus, the inspiration behind this week's post.

The Cape Charles Lighthouse is not accesible by land. It sits on Smith Island on the north edge of the mouth of the Chesapeake. It is the third such lighthouse to sit on the site and is intended to compliment the Cape Henry Lighthouse in Virginia Beach, VA on the south side of the Chesapeake's mouth.

Cape Charles is a skeleton tower light, which allows it to withstand the hurricanes force winds and waves. The original tower was a rubble stone tower that stood a mere 55 feet tall. It was commissioned in 1826 but was grossly inadequate for the job. In 1860 the second tower was commissioned. The second tower was a brick conical tower of 150 feet. However, the Confederate Army prevented the lighthouse from being completed until 1864.

Less than 20 years later, the Lighthouse Board was forced to replace the lighthouse a second time due to beach erosion. In the 20 years since the second tower had been built, the forces of nature eroded away and average of 30 FEET of beach PER YEAR! It would take another twelve years before the new lighthouse was completed and activated. At the time of its activation, the Lighthouse Board had implemented a numerical flash pattern. Cape Charles would have a 4-5 flash pattern. Numerical flash patterns proved two expensive to implement across all of the nation's lighthouses. Cape Charles was the second and last lighthouse to be given a numerical flash pattern. The other is Minot's Ledge which has a 1-4-3 flash pattern. When Cape Charles was completed, it became the second tallest lighthouse in the United States behind Cape Hatteras. It stands 191 feet tall.