WayfarrowCape Charles Light
Lighthouse · Northampton County, Virginia
Cape Charles Light is a lighthouse in Northampton County, Virginia. Virginia has 36 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow, 4 of them in Northampton County.
It was built in 1895, in the late 19th century, making it the 11th oldest of the 14 in Virginia with a recorded construction date; the tower stands about 191 feet tall (the tallest of 6 measured in Virginia); its light sits 190 feet above the water; the light characteristic is recorded as Fl W 5s (a white flash every 5 seconds), with a range of about 18 nautical miles.
Status check, 2026-11: This is the third tower on the site: the 1828 rubblestone tower and the 1864 brick tower are gone, and the current iron skeletal tower was finished in Dec 1894 and first lit Aug 15, 1895. It is the second-tallest US lighthouse. Cape Charles Light is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is not reachable by road: the nearest road is about 2 miles away, so it is seen from shore or reached by water. It stands at 37.1229° N, 75.9065° W.
Key facts
| Current structure built | 1895 |
|---|---|
| Tower height | 191 ft |
| Focal height | 190 ft |
| Light characteristic | Fl W 5s |
| Range | 18 nautical miles |
| Heritage designation | Virginia Historic Landmark |
| National Register | Listed |
| Coordinates | 37.12290, -75.90650 |
Nearby places
- Old Plantation Flats Lightlighthouse · Northampton County · 10.7 mi
- Cherrystone Bar Lightlighthouse · Northampton County · 11.6 mi
- Old Cape Henry Lighthouselighthouse · Virginia Beach County · 14.7 mi
- Cape Henry Lightlighthouse · Virginia Beach County · 14.7 mi
- Chesapeake Lightlighthouse · Virginia · 18.5 mi
- Thimble Shoal Lightlighthouse · Hampton County · 19.9 mi
- York Spit Lightlighthouse · York County · 20.1 mi
- Back River Lightlighthouse · Hampton County · 20.2 mi
- Hog Island Lightlighthouse · Northampton County · 21.9 mi
- Messickghost town · Poquoson (city) County · 23.6 mi
- Old Point Comfort Lightlighthouse · Hampton County · 23.6 mi
- Tanners Cross Roadsghost town · Norfolk (city) County · 23.8 mi
Questions
Where is Cape Charles Light?
Cape Charles Light is in Northampton County, Virginia, at 37.1229, -75.9065.
How many lighthouses are in Northampton County?
Northampton County, Virginia has 4 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow.
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wikidata — Wikidata item (CC0)
- National Register of Historic Places — National Register of Historic Places record (public-domain)
- Wikidata — Wikipedia article (linked as a source; text not used) (CC0)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.