About
The Cape Henry Lighthouses are a pair of lighthouses at Cape Henry, the landform marking the southern entrance to the 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. A second lighthouse was built a short distance away after concern arose about the stability of the first. Construction began in 1879 and was completed in 1881. Both towers of the light station were designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970.
