The 12 Oldest Lighthouses in Virginia

Ranked by the construction year of the structure standing today, for every lighthouse in Virginia that we could confirm is still standing. Old Cape Henry Lighthouse leads, built 1792; number 12 is Chesapeake Light, built 1965. Dates or measurements marked uncertain in the source are left out rather than guessed Each entry was checked against current sources (park services, historic registers, preservation societies), and anything demolished, replaced or uncertain is left out. Each entry links to its own page with coordinates, sources and image licences.

1. 

   1. Old Cape Henry Lighthouse

   Built 1792 · Virginia Beach County, Virginia · National Register

   Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

2. 

   2. Old Point Comfort Light

   Built 1802 · Hampton County, Virginia · National Register

   Photo: Acroterion / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

3. 

   3. New Point Comfort Light

   Built 1804 · Mathews County, Virginia · National Register

   Photo: Coastalsteve984 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

4. 4. Jones Point Light

   Built 1855 · Alexandria County, Virginia · National Register

5. 

   5. Assateague Light

   Built 1867 · Accomack County, Virginia · National Register

   Photo: Acroterion / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

6. 

   6. Cape Henry Light

   Built 1881 · Virginia Beach County, Virginia · National Register

   Photo: PumpkinSky / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

7. 7. Newport News Middle Ground Light

   Built 1891 · Newport News County, Virginia · National Register

8. 

   8. Wolf Trap Light

   Built 1894 · Mathews County, Virginia · National Register

   Photo: United States Coast Guard / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

9. 

   9. Cape Charles Light

   Built 1895 · Northampton County, Virginia · National Register

   Photo: NPS / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

10. 

    10. Smith Point Light

    Built 1897 · Accomack County, Virginia · National Register

    Photo: GrandmaR / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

11. 11. Thimble Shoal Light

    Built 1914 · Hampton County, Virginia · National Register

12. 

    12. Chesapeake Light

    Built 1965 · Virginia

    Photo: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

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