Transportation
Old Point Comfort Light, at Fort Monroe at the Virginia entrance to Hampton Roads, is the oldest lighthouse still in use in the Chesapeake and among the region’s earliest navigational aids. A beacon was tended here by 1775, and the federal government chose the site early for a lighthouse; the present tower, built by Elzy Burroughs, entered service in 1803. Its history mirrors the point’s strategic importance, from British seizure during the War of 1812 to its survival in the Civil War while Fort Monroe stayed in Union hands. Modernized repeatedly, it remains an active U.S. Coast Guard aid to navigation and a rare survivor of early American lighthouse building.
Hear stories like this as you drive
ExploreHere reads historical markers out loud as you pass them: over 325,000 stories across the US. No account needed.
4.7 · 800+ ratings · Free
FIND IT
Hampton, Virginia · United States
