Cherrystone Bar Light

Last updated
Cherrystone Bar Light
USCGcherrystonebarlight.JPG
Cherrystone Bar Light
LocationSW of Cape Charles, Virginia harbor in the Chesapeake Bay
Coordinates 37°15′23″N76°01′57″W / 37.2564°N 76.0324°W / 37.2564; -76.0324 Coordinates: 37°15′23″N76°01′57″W / 37.2564°N 76.0324°W / 37.2564; -76.0324
Tower
Foundation screw-pile
Construction cast-iron/wood
Shapehexagonal house
Light
First lit1858
Deactivated1919
Lensfourth-order Fresnel lens

The Cherrystone Bar Light was a lighthouse located at the entrance to Cape Charles, Virginia harbor in the Chesapeake Bay. It was the only light in the bay moved to another location, becoming the Choptank River Light in 1921.

History

This light was constructed shortly before the Civil War, and like the other Virginia lights, it was put out of commission by the Confederate forces. It was reactivated by Union forces in 1862.

The 1919 caisson light (USCG) USCGcherrystonebarlight.JPG
The 1919 caisson light (USCG)

In 1919, a simple skeleton tower on a small caisson was erected to replace the old light. The following year, the house was lifted from its foundation and barged north, where it was set on a new foundation to replace the Choptank River Light, which had been destroyed by ice in 1918. This light was eventually dismantled in 1964, but the caisson light at the original location remains in use.

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