Old Point Comfort Lighthouse

Visit the second oldest lighthouse in the Chesapeake Bay, the oldest lighthouse still in operation.

Old Point Comfort Lighthouse is located at the entrance to historic Hampton Roads. This is also a harbor at the mouths of the James, the Nansemond, and the Elizabeth Rivers. This has been a vital waterway for decades. There have been at least 3 forts built to protect the waterway, one before the colonial Fort George, and the one standing now is Fort Monroe. Fort Monroe was built in the Civil War era.

Some historians believe that Native Americans kept wood fires burning at the Point before that for the Spanish ships during the sixteenth century. The lighthouse is made of hand-cut stone and was built in the early 1800s. The lighthouse is 58 feet tall and was first open for use in 1803. The keeper's house was not built until 1823.  The US Coast Guard owned and maintained it until an automated was put in place back in 1972. The keeper's house was then transferred to the US Army and was used as a home for Fort Monroe's Command Sergeant Major until the fort was closed in 2011. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This lighthouse is open from 9 am to 5 pm.