WayfarrowThimble Shoal Light
Lighthouse · Hampton County, Virginia
Thimble Shoal Light is a lighthouse in Hampton County, Virginia. Virginia has 36 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow, 3 of them in Hampton County.
It was built in 1914, in the early 20th century, making it the 13th oldest of the 14 in Virginia with a recorded construction date; its light sits 52 feet above the water; the light characteristic is recorded as Fl W 10s (a white flash every 10 seconds), with a range of about 18 nautical miles; it guards Chesapeake Bay.
Status check, 2026-11: The current cast-iron caisson ('sparkplug') tower dates from 1914. The 1872 date belongs to the first screwpile light, which was replaced after fires. Sources give 55 ft above the water / focal height, not a confirmed tower height. Thimble Shoal Light is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is not reachable by road: the nearest road is about 3 miles away, so it is seen from shore or reached by water. It stands at 37.0145° N, 76.2399° W.
Key facts
| Current structure built | 1914 |
|---|---|
| Focal height | 52 ft |
| Light characteristic | Fl W 10s |
| Range | 18 nautical miles |
| Body of water | Chesapeake Bay |
| Heritage designation | Virginia Historic Landmark |
| National Register | Listed |
| Coordinates | 37.01449, -76.23985 |
Nearby places
- Old Point Comfort Lightlighthouse · Hampton County · 3.8 mi
- Back River Lightlighthouse · Hampton County · 5.3 mi
- Pine Beachghost town · Norfolk (city) County · 6.6 mi
- Tanners Cross Roadsghost town · Norfolk (city) County · 6.8 mi
- Messickghost town · Poquoson (city) County · 9.1 mi
- Ruxtonghost town · Norfolk (city) County · 9.6 mi
- Newport News Middle Ground Lightlighthouse · Newport News County · 9.7 mi
- Craney Island Lightlighthouse · Portsmouth County · 10 mi
- Fox Hallghost town · Norfolk (city) County · 10.1 mi
- Lambert Point Lightlighthouse · Norfolk County · 10.9 mi
- New Townghost town · Norfolk (city) County · 13 mi
- Nansemond River Lightlighthouse · Suffolk County · 13.4 mi
Questions
Where is Thimble Shoal Light?
Thimble Shoal Light is in Hampton County, Virginia, at 37.0145, -76.2399.
How many lighthouses are in Hampton County?
Hampton County, Virginia has 3 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.