Digest>Archives> Jul/Aug 2017

Virginia Beacons From the Past

Comments?    


You can see an enlarged version of this picture by clicking here.
>> Click to enlarge <<
This rare photo is what we believe to be the ...

The rare photo, shown here, is what we believe to be the construction of the lantern and upper portions of the Cape Charles Lighthouse in Virginia and the Hog Island Lighthouse, also in Virginia. The photo, sent to us by Robert J. Lewis, Jr., was most likely taken at the factory where upper portions of the lighthouses were built before they would have been shipped to their lighthouse sites.

You can see an enlarged version of this picture by clicking here.
>> Click to enlarge <<
After workmen blew up the Hog Island Lighthouse, ...

The 191-foot tall Cape Charles Lighthouse is the tallest of its type in the nation and the second tallest lighthouse overall in the United States. The Cape Charles Lighthouse keeper’s house was destroyed in a brush fire in July of 2000. The lighthouse still stands and is painted all white. The first order Fresnel lens that was once in the tower is now on display at the Newport Mariner’s Museum in Newport News, Virginia.

You can see an enlarged version of this picture by clicking here.
>> Click to enlarge <<
Cape Charles Lighthouse in Virginia as it ...

Sadly, the Hog Island Lighthouse no longer stands. In 1948, when the lighthouse was threatened by erosion, the U.S. Coast Guard planted explosive charges at its base, and upon denotation, the tower came crashing down in a tangled pile of twisted steel. Today, Hog Island is gone, submerged beneath the water. The first order Fresnel lens that was once in the Hog Island Lighthouse is now on display in a pavilion on the Elizabeth River waterfront in Portsmouth, Virginia.

You can see an enlarged version of this picture by clicking here.
>> Click to enlarge <<
The first order Fresnel lens from Hog Island ...


You can see an enlarged version of this picture by clicking here.
>> Click to enlarge <<
Vintage image of Virginia’s Hog Island ...

This story appeared in the Jul/Aug 2017 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

All contents copyright © 1995-2024 by Lighthouse Digest®, Inc. No story, photograph, or any other item on this website may be reprinted or reproduced without the express permission of Lighthouse Digest. For contact information, click here.


Subscribe
to Lighthouse Digest



USLHS Marker Fund


Lighthouse History
Research Institute


Shop Online












Subscribe   Contact Us   About Us   Copyright Foghorn Publishing, 1994- 2024   Lighthouse Facts     Lighthouse History