Old Cape Henry Lighthouse reopens
Time slots set aside for groups, families
VIRGINIA BEACH — After being shuttered for nearly seven months because of the pandemic, the old Cape Henry Lighthouse is open to the public again with some new rules and a busy staff.
Time slots will be set aside for groups of family or friends to climb the lighthouse tower on Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story. A maximum of 10 people will allowed inside at one time, and masks are required.
High-touch surfaces including the staircase rails will be cleaned after each use. There are 194 steps including a stairway up the dune to the tower.
“The staff coming behind them are going to be really fit,” said Will Glasco, spokesperson for Preservation Virginia, which owns and operates the lighthouse.
The red stone octagon was built in 1792, the first federallyfunded public works project of the newly formed U.S. government. It was authorized by George Washington and overseen by Alexander Hamilton.
The lighthouse is a National Historic Landmark and is featured on Virginia Beach’s city seal.
The lighthouse is 90 feet tall. A spiral steel staircase and two steep ladders lead to the glassenclosed lantern room at the top, where visitors enjoy a panoramic view of the Chesapeake Bay, ocean and the city. The newer black-and-white striped Cape Henry Lighthouse next door was built in 1881.
A new visitor plaza with signs and benches was added at the base of the old tower last year. The $1 million restoration project included stabilizing the lighthouse’s base.
General admission includes a walking tour of the site where the colonists first landed in 1607 and a World War II-era concrete bunker.