Today, the old Cape Henry Lighthouse
silently guards the entry way into
the Chesapeake Bay. Standing near
the spot where in 1607 Captain Newport
raised a cross to offer thanks for
their safe crossing of the Atlantic,
the Lighthouse is opened to the public
on a seasonal schedule.
The architectural
integrity of the tower is representative
of one of John McComb's best and most
important constructions. The Light
also symbolizes the first bold steps
the nation's new government took to
fulfill its obligations to its people.
With the construction of the Cape
Henry Lighthouse, the waters of the
Chesapeake Bay became navigable and
safe insuring steady trade and commerce
on the Virginia and Maryland coasts.
There
had been a need for a lighthouse since
before the Revolution. The Colony
of Virginia and then the state of
Virginia could never raise the funds
needed to build the structure. By
November 1789, the Virginia General
Assembly provided conveyance of the
land "lying and being in the
County of Princess Anne at the place
commonly called the head land of Cape
Henry" to the new government
"for the purpose of building
a lighthouse." Alexander Hamilton
contracted with John McComb, Jr. of
New York on 31 March 1791. McComb
had been the designer of the Government
House, the planned residence for the
President, in New York City.
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