Cape Charles Light Station was constructed in 1894 on Smith Island in Northampton County, replacing an earlier 1864 structure. The Light Station is positioned on the southern tip of the Delmarva peninsula where it marks the east side of the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay. The octagonal pyramidal exoskeleton cast-iron tower stands 191 feet tall and continues to serve the maritime community as a signal beacon today. This height makes it the tallest skeletal tower in the country. The Cape Charles Light Station is topped with a cylindrical room housing the spiral staircase, which gives access to the main service gallery and the lantern room. In addition to the light station, the original brick oil house and brick workshop have been retained on the property. The tower at Cape Charles is exceptionally significant in being the only onshore U.S. first-order, cast-iron, skeletal-type lighthouse tower. The Cape Charles Light Station was listed in the registers under the Light Stations of the United States Multiple Property Document.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
DHR has registered more than 3,317 individual resources and 613 historic districts
DHR has engaged over 450 students in 3 highway marker contests
DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia