Cape Henry Lighthouse is located at Cape Henry, a cape on the Atlantic shore of Virginia. Cape Henry is the southern boundary of the entrance to Chesapeake Bay, and is one of the Virginia Capes (along with Cape Charles).
The Cape Henry Lighthouse has long been important for the large amount of ocean-going shipping traffic for the harbors, its rivers, and shipping headed to ports on the Chesapeake Bay. It was the first lighthouse authorized by the U.S. government, dating from 1792. It was also the first federal construction project under the Constitution, for an original contract amount of $15,200 (an additional $2,500 was required to finish the lighthouse).
A newer structure stands nearby, so there are actually two lighthouses at Cape Henry. The older lighthouse was acquired in 1930 by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (Now APVA Preservation Virginia). A brick lining and an iron stairway have been added to the interior. The lighthouse is open to the public and a fine view can be enjoyed from its observation platform. It was designated a National Historic Landmark on January 29, 1964. In 2002 the American Society of Civil Engineers designated the lighthouse a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.
The lighthouses are located in the city of Virginia Beach within the boundaries of Fort Story, an Army base. The Cape Henry Memorial is adjacent to the lighthouses.
While I was assigned to the Electronic Support Detachment in Portsmouth my unit was responsible for the electronic controls and communication equipment at this light house. I've been up inside the thing a bunch of time working on gear. I have also been part of 3 color guards for retirement ceremonies that have taken place at the foot of the light house.
Also have the Cheaspeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
The Bridge-Tunnel project is a four-lane 20-mile-long vehicular toll crossing of the lower Chesapeake Bay. The facility carries US 13, the main north-south highway on Virginia's Eastern Shore, and provides the only direct link between Virginia's Eastern Shore and south Hampton Roads, Virginia. The crossing consists of a series of low-level trestles interrupted by two approximately one-mile-long tunnels beneath Thimble Shoals and Chesapeake navigation channels. The manmade islands, each approximately 5.25 acres in size, are located at each end of the two tunnels. There are also high level bridges over two other navigation channels: North Channel Bridge and Fisherman Inlet Bridge. Finally, between North Channel and Fisherman Inlet, the facility crosses at-grade over Fisherman Island, a barrier island which includes the Fisherman Island National Wildlife Refuge administered by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Toll collection facilities are located at each end of the facility.
*American Society of Civil Engineers 1965 award for "Outstanding Engineering Achievement"
*Designated "One of Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World" in 1965
There are a bunch more I could list but these 2 I have delt with the most.
