Thimble Shoal Light, in Chesapeake Bay north of the Hampton Roads channel, has served navigation since 1872 through three successive lighthouses at the site. A screw-pile lighthouse replaced the bay’s last lightship, but fire destroyed it in 1880. Its replacement, built the same year, survived collisions with vessels in 1891 and 1898 before a 1909 crash caused damage and another fire that ruined the house. The present caisson lighthouse was established in 1914 beside the old site. Still an active aid to navigation, it is notable for uncommon design details, was automated in 1964, and was sold to a private owner in 2005 while continuing its original role.