Cape Henry is the entry point to the vast Chesapeake Bay and literally 5 minutes down the road from me since I live right off the Bay. It serves as an important piece of history given that it was the landing site in April 1607 of the first British colonists to the states. These were the colonists who went up river and settled at Jamestown - also known by many as the fun filled settlement depicted in Disney's Pocahontas, though I wouldn't bank of its historical accuracy 100%. Apparently they were led by a Captain Newport which now explains the name of the town of Newport News and Christopher Newport University. This stone cross monument is at the same site as a wooden cross initially erected by the settlers almost 400 years ago to commemorate their safe passage.
Also occurring at this location was an important naval skirmish on September 1781 known as the Battle of the Capes. The victory against the British fleet in this battle prevented them from sending relief troops to General Cornwallis who was in the process of getting a colonial smackdown by Washington and the gang. Shortly thereafter, Cornwallis surrendered and our little country was born. Apparently some French dude, an Admiral deGrasse led the fight ... who knew the French were sailors???
I should mention that Cape Henry is located on the Fort Story Army base so getting to the attractions is sortof like going through airport security. You have to get out of your car, open the hood, trunk and watch as they walk around your car with little mirrors looking for explosives. One of the inspectors mentioned that my engine was dirty .... at which point my traveling companion said "Have you seen the inside?" Let's just say clean cars have never been a priority in my life.
The biggest attractions at Cape Henry are the two lighthouses - the old Cape Henry lighthouse and the "new" one which is still operating. The old light was build in 1792 and was one of the first public works projects funded by the our fledging little US bureaucracy and the project was headed by one Alexander Hamilton (later shot down in a duel with Aaron Burr for all of those history buffs out there). The light served it's purpose for almost 100 years, even after being damaged by the Confederacy during the Civil War. When it started to have structural issues in the masonry, a "new" lighthouse was commissioned and began operation in 1881. The original lighthouse had to be rebuilt after being destroyed by a hurricane in 1957 and for a fee of $4 - which let's face it, is a bit of a rip off - you can climb to the top. Of course, it is being run by a non-profit historical preservation association so I suppose they need to make money somehow. Here are some pictures, including me at the entrance, the metal circular staircase, the view from the top (blurry pictures due to the windows which were a bit steamy that day) and a webpage shot of the actual light since I forgot to get one.
The "new" lighthouse from 1881 is still in operation and you can't climb up it. Here are pictures however of the new light, and a shot from the first landing site showing both of the lights.
While we were there, I also took a few shots of the ocean front and off in the distance you can see commercial vessels waiting to enter the bay. My friend explained to me that the ships have to wait here until it's their turn to enter the bay. A small red boat, known as a pilot boat, comes over and navigates them into the bay via the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel. It explained a lot because when I walk on the bay beach I always see these boats just sitting there and I wondered, "Why aren't they going anywhere?" Apparently they're just waiting for their turn to get into the port of Norfolk or whatever ports farther north they are heading too. I didn't see any big military ships, but apparently this is the same route all of the ones leaving and entering Naval Station Norfolk travel.
So that sums up the sights at Cape Henry, it was a bit anticlimactic after having worked all weekend but still a nice afternoon.
1 comment:
Great pics! Thanks for the good words about grandma Liles. Checked out your BT blog... better get to training for that 1/2 :)
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