The Turkey Point Lighthouse stands on a 100-foot bluff overlooking the Chesapeake Bay and, after its construction in 1833, guided mariners to safe waters for nearly 175 years. It played a vital part in protecting the lives and livelihoods of many thousands of people before being taken out of service in April 2000. Today, visitors can climb its 40 steps to the top, 135 feet above the bay, and look out for miles. An inset quotation from Captain John Smith's The Generall Historie of Virginia recalls violent storms, thunder, lightning, and rain among nearby islands he called "Limbo."