Cape Henry
The History of Cape Henry
by Bob Perrine, Old Donation
Episcopal Church Historian - Dec 2015
The two Light Houses at Cape
Henry -
The Old Cape Henry Light (right) was the 1st lighthouse built by the Federal Government.
The historic lands along Chesapeake Beach stretch eleven miles from the boundary between Norfolk and Virginia Beach to the Atlantic Ocean. Today’s beaches have different names which are (from west to east) Little
Creek, Chic’s, Baylake Pines & Baylake, Aeries on the Bay, Water Oaks, Ocean Park, Point Chesapeake (previously Duck Inn), Cape
Henry, First Landing, and Fort Story. Longtime residents simply call all of
these beaches Chesapeake Beach (many just claim most of Chesapeake Beach to be Chic's Beach). Up the Bay is Norfolk which incorporates (from
west to east) Willoughby Spit, Ocean View and East Beach.
From the east end of the Joint Expeditionary Base-Little Creek 4.4 miles to the west end of First Landing State Park, the beach is open to the public, curb parking and beach access free of charge; except the 0.4 miles from 4399 Sandy Bay Drive to 4201 Sandy Bay Drive is noted by the above sign as a private beach for only community residents of Baylake Pines and Baylake Beach.
Three of these road signs are at entrances to Cape Henry Beach.
Just east of Bayfront Communities is a one mile stretch of First Landing State Park Beach. The entrance is free for bikers, walkers, and bus #35 (Vista Circle near the east side of the Lesner Bridge to the park and down the Ocean Front to Arctic Ave and 19th St); however, a $5 fee ($7 on weekends) is collected at the park entrance for parking. The beach is equipped with restrooms, laundry room, and a City of Virginia Beach maintained visitor's center with very good displays of the April 26th, 1607 Jamestown Settlers' landing at Cape Henry where they stayed for four days exploring before heading up the James River.
35 Million Years Ago – the Chesapeake Bay Impact
Crater. A massive meteor hit in
the vicinity of Cape Charles, Virginia, punching a deep crater in the ocean
floor. At that time the ocean shoreline extended to Richmond. Millions of tons
of water, sediment, and shattered rock were cast high into the atmosphere for
hundreds of miles along the East Coast. An enormous seismic tsunami engulfed the
land and overtopped the Blue Ridge Mountains, providing the reason sea shells
can be found high atop the Blue Ridge.
Chesapeake Bay Impact Crater Rim Formed a Shallow Bay along Chesapeake
Beaches
“Chesapeake
Bay Impact Crater”
“Bay Crater
May Extend into Isle of Wight County,” October
24, 2012
35,000 - 18,000Years Ago - The First Americans. From Siberia the First Americans started a
journey 35,000 years ago following the Mastodons herds west. With the Pacific
Ocean being as much as 400 feet lower their journey ended at a 100 miles wide fertile
land mass linking Asia with North America, known as “Beringa,” (now a
waterway into the Arctic Ocean). In front of them was a huge solid ice barrier
called the Wisconsin Glaciation. There the First Americans lived for 15,000
years until 20,000 years ago. Even though ice still extended down to present
day Denver, the first Americans were able to navigate the glaciers in boats by
moving south down the Pacific rim and then spreading out across North and South America over the next 2,000 years,
finally arriving in Virginia 18,000 years ago (or even earlier).
“The First Americans,” Jan 2015, National Geographic
18,000 - 400 Years Ago - The First Virginians. Remains of the first Virginians was discovered at an intensely
excavated Paleo-Indian site on the Shenandoah River in Warren County. There,
the Paleo-Indians quarried jasper from the river’s west bank to make tools.
This area, called the Thunderbird site had a large population due to the vast
number of artifacts discovered contradicting earlier views that Paleo-Indian
people lived in small groupings. Another Paleo-Indian site was discovered 37 miles north-east
in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Clarke County, Virginia. Concentric stone
circles near rocks weighing more than a ton were placed to mark solar events.
It is possibly the oldest man-made structures in North America still in
existence, twice as old as England’s Stonehenge, and not only with more
features than Stonehenge, its construction shows the advanced civilization at
the time. Artifacts found there, tied it
to the Thunderbird site. At different times in the year the Paleo-Indians would
visit for ceremonial services.
From the Blue Ridge Mountains the Paleo-Indians moved on into
the Atlantic coastal region. At that time the Atlantic Ocean was 130 feet lower
and 50 miles east of the present Virginia shoreline, and the Chesapeake Bay was
still the ancient Susquehanna River. They built villages from North Carolina to
Nova Scotia. Called Eastern Woodland Indians, those along the Virginia coast became
known as the Chesepian Indians, a name used for the Chesapeake Bay (called
"Chesupioc," or “Great Shellfish Bay."). They aligned with the Carolina
Algonquian speaking tribes, all living a peaceful existence in separate
villages around Currituck Sound and the Chesapeake Bay. Two Chesapeake Indian
villages have been found, Apasus and Chesepioc, both near the Lynnhaven River.
Archaeologists and others have found numerous Indian artifacts, such as
arrowheads, stone axes, pottery and beads at Great Neck Point, and where the
first Adam Thoroughgood house was built at today’s Battery Road in Baylake
Pines near the shoreline of Lake Joyce on Indian Hill.
The Chesepians lived in peace for many thousands of years
until the rise of Chief Powhatan's confederation to the north in the latter sixteenth
century, a collection of 30 tribes stretching from modern-day Alexandria to
Chesepian tribal land. The Chesepians refused to be part of this confederation,
and, as a result, the strongest tribe in Powhatan's confederation, the
Nansemond, started whittling away at the Chesepians forcing them to abanded settlements in and around today's Virginia Beach and live in swamp land to the south.
References:
"Cactus Hill Archaeological Site on the Nottoway River in Sussex
County"
“Powhatan,”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powhatan
The Seventeenth Century
1606. Bartholomew Gosnold obtained from King James an exclusive charter for the Virginia Company of London to establish a settlement in the Chesapeake Bay area. On December 20th Gosnold left England with a crew of 144 in three ships.
The story that explains the Jamestown Settlers voyage across the Atlantic to their first four days at Cape Henry and on to Jamestown Island, can be found at the First Landing Beach Visitor's Center, in simple terms for class visits.
Replica of the Susan Constant, largest of the 3 ships, commanded by Captain Christopher Newport
Statue
of Christopher Newport (1561 – 1617) at Christopher Newport University. He was
in command on the initial voyage and in 1609 made several trips back to England for supplies.
Replica of the Godspeed, 2nd largest, commanded by Captain Bartholomew
Gosnold
Stone
cross marking what is believed to be the gravesite of Bartholomew Gosnold (1571
- 1607) at Jamestown Island, Virginia. He was the primary person responsible for
England's colonization the New World.
Replica of the Discovery, smallest of the 3, commanded by Captain John Radcliffe
Sir John James Ratcliffe
(Rattclyffe) (c.1549 - 1609) became the second president of the Jamestown.colony.
Captain John Smith (1580 – 1631)
1607, April 26. In the early morning, the Jamestown colonists made landfall at Cape Henry. The next day on April 27 four carpenters assembled a shallop, a boat made in England in portions for storage in the largest ship, the Susan Constant. The shallop could be powered by oars or sails, travel in deep or shallow waters, and was light enough to be pulled ashore. It was about 30 by 8 feet and drew less than 2 feet of water. Like most English boats of the period, the shallop was built of oak planks fastened together with wooden pegs. It had one mast and a sail made of hemp canvas.
On April 28 Christopher Newport set out with a crew of 12 men in the shallop to find the best navigable channel for their journey up river. Passing the Lynnhaven River which they found too shallow, they rowed on to the James, the river Christopher Newport named for James after King James I of England (1566 – 1625). Rowing up the south side of the James, they found it to be too shallow for their three ships. They also found huge mounds of oyster reefs, some just below the surface which would wreck many ships in the following years.
Moving up the James and into the mouth of the Elizabeth River they found a place where they could explore three or four miles into the land. They would be the first white men to set foot on land that 160 years later would become the Gosport Shipyard in 1767 (later named Norfolk Naval Shipyard).
On their return that evening, they found the northern side of the James to have a channel deep enough for passage. They described it as ‘putting them in good comfort’ for passage and named the nearby point Cape Comfort (today's Old Point Comfort, Hampton).
On April 29, before leaving Cape Henry the
expedition set up a cross, named the land Cape Henry after Henry Frederick
Stuart, Prince of Wales, (1594 – 1612), the elder son of King James I (1566 –
1625).
Cape
Henry, named for Henry Frederick Stuart, Prince of Wales, (1594 – 1612), the
elder son of King James I (1566 – 1625)
Cape
Charles, named for Prince Charles I (1600 – 1649), the younger son of King
James I (1566 – 1625).
The
Elizabeth River, named for Elizabeth Stuart (1596 – 1662), the second child and
eldest daughter of King James I (1566 – 1625).
The James River named by Christopher Newport for King
James I (1566 – 1625).
Master George Percy (1580 – 1632)
wrote about the first 4 day events in 1608.
Master George Percy, along with prominent Jamestown leader Captain Gabriel Archer, were known Catholics, a revelation made in 2015 by researchers on Jamestown Island that has caused historians to modify their understanding of that period when the Virginia Company of London proclaimed the Jamestown mission (beside exploring for gold and finding the Northwest Passage) was to spread Protestantism throughout the New World in competition with Spain's spread of Catholicism.
April 29, 1607. Rowing across the James to the channel they found the day before, they
were spotted by friendly members of the Pamunkey tribe who invited
them to their village Kecoughtan (today’s Hampton) for food and entertainment.
A statue in the First Landing Beach Visitors Center shows Captain Newport exchanging gifts with the Pamunkey Chief on 29 April 1607. .
April 30, 1607. The next day the
settlers again used the shallop rowing ahead of the three ships to find the
best channel as they completed their 15 day 55 mile journey from Cape Henry up
the James River to Jamestown Island on May 14, to become the site of the first permanent English
settlement in the new world.
Leading the colonists for the first two and a half
years, John Smith dealt forcefully and fairly with men who had never before had
dirty hands, and kept them and the surrounding tribes on a fairly friendly
basis. In mid-Oct 1609 John Smith was severely injured by an accidental
gunpowder explosion in his canoe. He sailed to England for treatment and never
returned to Virginia.
After Smith left, seven of nine supply ships arrived between Aug and Oct 1609 without the one with most of the supplies, the Sea Venture. Including John Rolfe, the Sea Venture had been forced off course and wrecked in Bermuda. During the ten month stay there John acquired tobacco seedlings grown in Trinidad and Venezuela.
Arriving in Jamestown May 23, 1610 Rolfe and the crew found the colony starving (the 1609–1610 Starving Time). This was the result of poor leadership in dealing with Powhatan.
With the absence of Smith, settler/Indian hostilities deepened for the next four years until the marriage between 29 year-old John Rolfe and 17 year-old Pocahontas, Powhatan's daughter, on 5 April
1614. Their marriage broke the conflicts and created a climate of peace for several years. Not
only a piece, but the seeds of economic prosperity were realized when Rolfe made
his first profitable export of tobacco to England in 1617. John's tobacco was much sweeter and stronger than the hash tasting tobacco the local Indians were smoking. Also a key to his tobacco was learning from Pocahontas how the Indians dried their tobacco.
After Powhatan’s
death in 1618, his brother Opechancanough took over, and things again slowly
deteriorated. Opechancanough got tribes on both sides of the river to form
alliances, uniting them in hatred against the English.
On March 22, 1622
Opechancanough’s forces attacked unexpectedly in the “the Great Uprising”
killing roughly a quarter of the 1,200 English settlers. The English sought
revenge, sailing up and down the rivers destroying Indian villages and seizing
corn. Opechancanough launched another attack a few years later but was beaten
back by English soldiers.
This defeat was the beginning of the end of the
Powhatan empire and the beginning of prosperity for Jamestown as Rolfe and
others were by this time exporting vast quantities of tobacco.
In 1646
Governor Berkeley negotiated the first treaty with neighboring tribes. The English population in Tidewater had reached 8,000 replacing the large number of deaths by the regular arrival of ships from England. This while the Powhatan tribes fell below the ever increasing English numbers.
Rolfe not only brought tobacco to Tidewater Virginia but
also earth worms that would generate another cash crop - wood. Ships waiting for
tobacco, dumped their ballast of stones and soil into the James River. The soil
contained earth worms new to North America.
The worms competed with decomposing tree leaves turning the dense
forests into a more open and dry landscape. The remaining trees grew larger, and with their fine dense wood they become one of the largest exports from Virginia in
the 19th century. By the mid-20th century, in excess of 95% of the Old Growth
Forests in Virginia Beach were gone.
“A
Skeleton, a Catholic Relic, and a Mystery About American Origins,” Jul 28,
2015
“Bruno: Jamestown's Catholic Connection,” the
Virginian Pilot, July 30, 2015 -
“First Landing at Cape Henry,” 1608 by Master George Percy
The Lynnhaven
River is shown on the below sketch before 1667 with
its mouth to the Chesapeake at Little Creek with another outlet near Lake
Joyce. Since there was no outlet where the Lesner Bridge stands today, Cape
Henry Beach extended 11 miles from the mouth of the Atlantic to Little Creek.
(1) 1634 - Adam Thoroughgood built a crude type of
wooden house.
(2) 1639 / 1680 / 1719 - Contraversary over construction date of the Thoroughgood House.
(3) 1639 - Adam Thoroughgood built Lynnhaven Parish
Church No. 1 at Church Point (consumed by the Lynnhaven River in 1692).
(4) 1636 / 1667 /1735 - The Adam Keeling House. Wood dating puts the construction of the current house at about 1735, the third house built over two older houses, 1636 and 1667.
(today a private residence).
(5) 1637 - Thomas Allen built his house (today’s John
B. Dey House, a private residence).
(6) 1640 - Henry Woodhouse was a member of the first
vestry (1640) and the road around his estate carries his name, but the house
has long since perished.
(7) 1638 / 1732 / 1805 - The Francis Land house standing today was built around 1805 by Francis Moseley Land VI (1780-1819), but his descendants before him lived on the same estate land and had houses built on top of the older ones. A brick in the cellar has the date 1732 inscribed on its surface. The first house was most likely built by Francis Land II (1604 - 1657), the first Land to arrive in Virginia Beach about 1638.
(8) 1667 - Adam Keeling dug a small pilot channel here
as a quicker way to the Chesapeake Bay (today’s Lesner Bridge site). A month
later on September 6, 1667 the worst hurricane ever to hit the area widened the
pilot channel to create the new flow of the river.
(9) According to Benjamin Dey White, in his 1924 book
“Gleanings in the History of Princess
Anne County,” Lake Joyce formed an inlet from the Lynnhaven River to the
Chesapeake Bay. Here legend has it that Black Beard, the Pirate, hid the bulk
of his booty.
(10) A map by Gen. Benedict Arnold’s engineers made in
1781 denotes the early flow of the Lynnhaven River to be two miles further west
at Little Creek.
(11) 1692 / 1736 - Lynnhaven Parish / Old Donation
Church. The second church was built in 1692 and third in 1736 (standing today). The second church was used for an Orphan Boys School 1736 to about 1820.
(12) 1764 - Pembroke Manor was built by Captain John
Saunders I (1726 – 1765).
1667 - Re-routing
of the Lynnhaven River. Adam Keeling (1638 - 1683) organized his neighbors to
dig a small pilot channel from the Lynnhaven River through a huge sandbar about
a half-mile long to the Chesapeake Bay so boats would not have to make the long
two mile journey west to the mouth of the river at Little Creek. Ironically, a
month later on September 6, 1667, following on the heels of a nor’easter and
twelve days of rain thereafter, the dreadful hurricane of 1667 struck, a storm
considered one of the most severe hurricanes to ever strike Virginia. Most of
the homes in the area were destroyed. Area
crops, including corn and tobacco, were beat into the ground. Many livestock
drowned in area rivers due to the twelve foot storm surge. The foundation of
the fort at Point Comfort was swept into the river, and a graveyard of the
First Lynnhaven Parish Church tumbled into the Lynnhaven River. This system was
blamed for enlarging the small pilot channel dug the month before to the size
of an inlet and re-routing the Lynnhaven River permanently.
“The Dreadful Hurricane of 1667,” http://www.hurricanescience.org/history/storms/pre1900s/1667
"Virginia Hurricane History" https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/research/roth/vahur.htm
Hardships. Neighboring the Chesapeake Bay, the Lynnhaven Parish
English colonists suffered from many hazards including wolves, nor'easters,
droughts, hurricanes, floods, and attacks by French, Spanish and Dutch ships.
Then there were the pirates. The pirate Capt. Kidd had his rendezvous on
Pleasure House Creek, then part of the Lynnhaven River, and the English pirate
Edward Teach (1680 –1718), better known as Blackbeard, buried his treasure in
the huge sand banks near Cape Henry, dunes that were bulldozed during WWII so
German u-boats would not have a beacon into the Chesapeake Bay. However, some
folks claim he hid his treasures on an island in Lake Joyce which used to have
an inlet from the Chesapeake Bay. In 1684 the English Government furnished a
ketch for the protection of the Virginia coast. Lookouts were established along
the shore for all suspicious vessels, and all ships coming to Virginia were
provided with cannon and men trained to shoot them.
Edward Teach (1680 –1718), better known as Blackbeard
The Pleasure House. Pleasure House Beach, a strip of
beach from Little Creek Amphibious Base to Baylake Beach, was first named for a
popular ordinary or tavern - “The Pleasure House” built in the 17th century. It
was one of the first places in America where spirits
could be had, a popular place for Blackbeard and his men. While there
Blackbeard had several men stand lookout for ships to pirate. When spotted
they’d dash back to the Pleasure House along a narrow little road, today’s
Lookout Road, a block from and parallel to the Chesapeake Bay. Besides Lookout
Road there is also Black Beard Road that hugs the east side of Lake Joyce. As proprietor in the early nineteenth century
Mr. Nimmo continued the Pleasure House's reputation for gambling and drinking. During the War of
1812 the tavern was occupied on a regular basis by Virginia militia who used
the second floor as an observation post to observe British movements in the
Bay. The British attacked the house at least two times during the war, setting
it on fire and capturing several militiamen.
This 18th
century map (above) marks the location of the Pleasure House. The current map
(below) shows the rearrangement of lakes. The Pleasure House is on the east
side of today’s Lake Bradford and is situated just north of today’s Chub Lake.
Lake Joyce was formed from the remnants of the Lynnhaven River when it flowed
west to Little Creek prior to 1667.
From “Haunted
Virgina Beach,” by Alpheus J. Chewning, page 16
1976 - the abandoned “Pleasure House” at the
end of Pleasure House Road on the south end of a small lake.
Photo Credit: The New Tidewater Flashback Group in Facebook
The Eighteenth Century
Lynnhaven’s
Golden Age. The eighteenth century was the Golden Age in Lynnhaven Parish
with prestigious families becoming wealthy on tobacco and other crops.
Families such as the Walkes, Keelings, Moseleys, Lands, and Woodhouses
would take week-long excursions to Cape Henry Beach having sent servants ahead
with tents, furniture and refreshments. The most famous of these trips
was made during the courtship between sixteen year old Elizabeth Walke of the
Walke Manor House and thirty-two year old George F. McIntosh of Thalia’s Summerville.
Their wedding in 1800, dubbed the “Wedding
of the Century,” officiated by the famous Rev Anthony Walke, was
a most grand affair at the small Lynnhaven Parish Church with days of
celebration at the Walke Manner House and Summerville.
1776 - The American Revolutionary War Years
The Revolutionary War would mark the end of the “Golden Age.” Up until the war, Lynnhaven Parish Church served as the “Mother Church” of a rich and aristocratic Princess Anne County exclusively from English ancestry making up almost half the population, with a quarter being slaves and a quarter Native Americans. Although a few people were beginning to steal away to Presbyterian and Baptist churches, the vast majority of Princess Anne County belonged to one church, the Lynnhaven Parish Anglican Church. Before the war most of the Virginian gentry supported the Crown, but as Virginia tobacco planters fell deeper and deeper into debt to British merchants, and as taxes imposed by the King slowly mounted, attitudes began to change. With the costs imposed on the colonists to pay for their defense, particularly the French and Indian War (1754–63), the cash-poor but potentially land-rich gentry began to support the rebel cause for independence. Leading up to and during the Revolutionary War there was heated debate within Lynnhaven Parish Church between those siding with the British as loyalists and those staunch American patriots. Colonel Edward Hack Moseley (1717 - 1783) was loyal to King George III and remained loyal throughout the war. His son Lt Col Edward Hack Moseley Jr (1743 – 1814) stood on the opposite side, but this did not affect their relationship. One member of Lynnhaven Parish Church went further than just talk. Captain Saunders II (1754 - 1834) chose to be a loyalist and joined the Queen's Loyal Virginia Regiment in opposition to his father, Captain Jonathan Saunders I (1726 – 1765) a staunch American patriot. Although he was not in the battle at Yorktown, the congregation assumed he was. His regiment was at Yorktown for the battle against Washington, but he was ordered to Charleston to command the garrison there.
Captain John Saunders II (1754 - 1834)
Photo from the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, Virginia
As a military officer in George Washington's army during the Siege of Yorktown, Sep-Oct 1781, Adam Thoroughgood (1755 – 1782), a 7th generation descendant of the first Adam Thoroughgood has been confused with his son Lemuel Thorowgood. The article by Kathleen Bruce “Down on the Lynnhaven” in the Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch 28 April 1924, said that the house of Colonel Adam Thorowgood was commandeered as a British headquarters. His wife Sarah Calvert Thorowgood bravely stood up to the British soldiers when they offered her husband a pardon if he stopped fighting and came home. In the tradition of Thoroughgood wives, she replied with rebellious indignation, "I would rather see him dead!" However, it was Lemuel Thorowgood who married Sarah Calvert and was at the Battle of Yorktown as an officer in George Washington’s army. He became a Captain, then a Major, and finally a Lt. Colonel by the end of the war. As a result of a war-time wound Lemuel died in 1785.
Ref: "The Identity Crisis of the Adam Thoroughgood House," April 2, 2018, by Janet Cummings, Thorowgood World, Exploring 17th Century Roots & Legacies - https://thorowgoodworld.wordpress.com/2018/04/02/the-identity-crisis-of-the-adam-thoroughgood-house
Hampton
Roads would become key in war strategy by the British who considering it a choke point between northern
and southern American forces.
After the burning of Norfolk by British Royal Navy ships on
January 1, 1776 the American Revolutionary War was mostly fought to the south
and north of Hampton Roads. By 1780 the British smelled victory after scoring
major defeats in both the north and south. After General Lord Cornwallis captured
Savannah and Charleston in the summer of 1780, he moved on to Yorktown to
provide a protected harbor for the British fleet in the lower Chesapeake Bay. To complete the severing of the norther and southern components of the American Continental Army, Brigadier General Benedict Arnold was
dispatched in Jan 1781 with 1,600 men with instructions to destroy army supplies and storage depots. He raided Richmond and cities along the James River, and finally
establishing fortifications in Portsmouth. The British, now confident victory was at hand, could rebuild their
American dominance outward to the north and south from Hampton Roads.
Their assumptions were premature. Cornwallis might have succeeded if it not been for the French, and the grave mistake of not listening to Benedict Arnold's advice. He said garrisoning at Yorktown would be placing his forces against the water with no escape route. After a heated argument, Cornwallis reassigned Arnold north.
In the paragraph below the portrait of Benedict Arnold at
the American Revolution Museum
he was credited for his decisive leadership in the
Battle of Saratoga in 1777,
but because he was not promoted he switched sides
to fight for the British in Virginia.
March 16, 1781 -The Battle of Cape Henry. Local residents saw British battle ships anchored at the mouth of the
Lynnhaven River. They had arrived that evening after being mauled by a French fleet
under the command of Admiral Destouches during the Battle of Cape Henry. Destouches
had soundly beaten the English fleet under the Command of Vice Admiral Arbuthnot and could have completely destroy the British
fleet, but instead Destouches sailed to Newport RI, a tactical error, leaving the
Chesapeake under British control and allowing Benedict Arnold’s troops to remain garrisoned in Portsmouth. They would continue raiding up and down the James
River cutting off supplies to American patriots fighting in the Carolina's.
September 5, 1781 - The Battle of the Capes. On September 1, Admiral deGrasse, commander of the
French fleet, arrived near the mouth of the Lynnhaven River in a five day wait
for the British. He detached a few of his ships to blockade the York and James
Rivers farther up the bay. Many of his ships at anchor were missing
officers, men, and boats when the British fleet was sighted on the morning of
September 5, 1781. Their arrival caught de Grasse completely off guard. Local
residents were at the time helping the French gather supplies. DeGrasse had to leave as
many as 200 of his crew behind when he ordered his fleet to cut anchor at 11:30 a.m. to begin
sailing out of the bay with the noon tide. The French took more than four hours
to move single file through the then 1781 Bay's narrow channel. Admiral Graves commander
of the English fleet waited 15 miles from the mouth of the bay, a tragic tactical mistake. About 4:00 pm the French ships cleared
the Bay. The British were the first to open fire, but the French got the first advantage by aiming at British
masts and rigging, crippling the two led British ships. The 2-1/2 hour epic battle ensued just
out of visual sight off Cape Henry, perhaps the most significant battle in
American history. By holding the British fleet from reaching Lord Cornwallis at
Yorktown with vital supplies and assuring General Washington of a victory
over Cornwallis at Yorktown, this sea battle became the critical one in securing America's independence from England.
Some or all of the leaders of Princes Anne County,
who had helped deGrasse with supplies, gathered at the point of Cape Henry to
see smoke and hear the cannon fire in the distance. Included in the gathering most likely were:
*Parents of three patriots who fought in the
War of 1812; twelve year old John Henderson (1769 – 1825), three year old
Anthony Walke (1778-1820) and one year old John Brownley (1780-1853).
*Reverend Anthony Walke III (1755 - 1814)
*William Walke (1762 - 1795)
*Captain Thomas Walke IV (1760-1797)
*Colonel Edward Hack Moseley I (1717 - 1783),
*Colonel Edward H. Moseley Jr. (1743 - 1814)
Sep 5, 1781, the Battle of the Capes (French on the left and British on the right)
"I wish it was in my power to express to Congress how much I feel myself indebted to the Count deGrasse and his fleet." G. Washington Oct 19, 1781.
"I consider myself infinately happyto have been of some service to the United States reserve me a palce in your memory." deGrasse Nov 3, 1781
A memorial stone plaque at Historic Jamestown Colonial National Historic Parks Cape Henry
French Fleet Commander François-Joseph Paul, Marquis de Grasse
A statue of French Fleet Commander François-Joseph Paul, Marquis de Grasse
is at Fort Story (today’s Joint Expeditionary Base East).
The
below interpretive sign, Battle of the
Capes, September 5, 1781 is located along a Pleasure House Point between
the Pleasure House boat dock and Dinwiddie Rd. It was installed in June 2015 as
part of the Washington Rochambeau
Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail as a joint project of the
National Park Service and the Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation
Department.
Events Leading to the
Siege of Yorktown, 1781 https://www.nps.gov/york/learn/historyculture/eventstoyorktown.htm
September 18, 1781. The
Virginia State Historical Highway Marker, Meeting
of Three Commanders, dedicated March 6, 2019, at Lynnhaven Colony Park on Shore Drive, across from Beach Haven Drive, focuses specifically on the
September 18, 1781 meeting of Washington, Rochambeau and de Grasse, overlapping
content with the above interpretive sign Battle
of the Capes, September 5, 1781.
Note:
The location of this October 18, 1781 meeting was at the same site de Grasse waited five days (September 1-5, 1781) for the British fleet. Since the channel of the Chesapeake Bay and Lynnhaven were not as deep and wide as is today, it took de Grasse four hours moving single file to clear the Bay and meet the British Fleet.
National Archives – Founders Online - Washington Papers - Sep 1781 https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/01-03-02-0007-0005
September 3, 1783. The Revolutionary War put an end to the “Golden Age.” Lynnhaven Parish Church had served as the “Mother Church” of a rich and aristocratic Princess Anne County exclusively from English ancestry making up almost half the population, with a quarter being slaves and a quarter Native Americans. Although a few people were beginning to steal away to Presbyterian and Baptist churches, the vast majority of Princess Anne County still belonged to one church, the Lynnhaven Parish Anglican Church. After the Revolutionary War the Virginian gentry's break in loyalty was tested during the 1783 Treaty of Paris when the subject of paying pre-war debts to English merchants was decided in favor of the English merchants. A key point in the treaty “recognized the lawful contracted debts to be paid to creditors on either side.” Further, the Anglican Church was disestablished in all states where it had previously been a privileged religion, and the Virginian gentry lost their high status in the community without an Anglican Church to collect a tithing tax or to purchase a commission in the army or navy. Anglicans were left without organization and the Virginia legislature and local governments began seizing Anglican property, even though it belonged to the newly established Episcopal Church. Out of 107 Virginia parishes before the war only 42 survived. Lynnhaven Parish Church was one of the surviving churches.
References:
"The Revolutionary War in Virginia" - http://www.virginiaplaces.org/military/revwar.html
"Jamestown Settlement & American
Revolution Museum" - http://www.historyisfun.org
“Battle of
the Capes” -
https://www.nps.gov/york/learn/historyculture/battle-of-the-capes.htm
Note: The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown which opened in March 2017 is not for you if you want to learn about Revolutionary War activities in Hampton Roads. For example, under the portrait of Benedict Arnold, the paragraph ends by just saying that after he switched sides he went on to fight for the British in Virginia. That’s all! And as for Captain Saunders II (1754 - 1834) there is just a portrait of him.
June 25, 1788. When land owners became aware the federal government would be unable to collect enough taxes for a nation on the verge of bankruptcy, and a stronger federal document became necessary. Because of their family status, Anthony Walke and his distant cousin Thomas Walke IV (1760 – 1797) were chosen to represent Princess Anne County at the 1788 Virginia Constitutional Convention. They were both great-grandsons of Colonel Thomas Walke (1642-1694), the first Walke to come to Lynnhaven Parish in 1670. In order for the Constitution to become law two-thirds or 9 of the 13 states had to ratify it. After New Hampshire became the 9th state, even though Virginia had yet to vote, they along with New York were locked in bitter debates. Their failure to ratify would reduce the new union by 2 large, populated, wealthy states, geographically splintering the new nation. Patrick Henry (1736 - 1799) argued for hours at the Virginia convention against the Constitution, but James Madison’s (1751-1836) persuasive and subtle logic persuaded the Walkes, and others in Tidewater to vote for the new constitution, and on June 25, 1788, by a narrow margin, Virginia voted "yes." With Virginia voting yes, New York caved and also by a narrowly vote approved the Constitution.
The Pilot Boats. Harbor pilots first started working in Hampton Roads early in the 18th century. They helped to end the American Revolution in 1781 by guiding the French fleet to the Virginia Capes in time to defeat the British (the Battle of the Capes). During the Civil War, the U.S. frigate Merrimac was escorted by four armed pilot boats to its epic meeting with the Union Navy’s USS Monitor. In 1866 the Virginia Pilot Association was formed and a seventy-two foot wooden schooner was anchored off Cape Henry to serve as the pilot’s base station for maritime traffic entering the Chesapeake Bay, the last in 1983 being the steel steam cutter, pilot boat Virginia III. Pilots would be picked up on the shoreline of Cape Henry and rowed out to the schooner where they would wait for a ship entering the Chesapeake. Then from the schooner sailors would row a pilot to the incoming ship. The pilots job was to guide the ship's captain through the Chesapeake to port.
Virginia III
From “Guardians of the Capes, a History of Pilots and Piloting in Virginia Waters from 1611 to Present”
The above late 1950s picture shows a yawl boat being lowered from
Virginia III to pick up pilots off the beach at Fort Story.
Picture from “Images of America, Fort Story and Cape Henry,” by Fielding Lewis Tyler, 2005
Capt J.H. Vail is taken ashore at Cape Henry piggyback,
a time-honored custom, by apprentice Ted Wool.
From “Guardians of the Capes, a History of Pilots
and Piloting in Virginia Waters from 1611 to Present”
This 1909 painting shows a harbor pilot in a perilous moment
as he grabs onto the ships ladder from the pilot’s yawl boat in rough seas.
From Virginia Beach in Vintage Postcards by Alpheus J. Chewning, 2004
The George M. Farwell is shown wrecked as it sits grounded October 1906. Just barely visible in the background to the left is the Italian schooner Antonia wrecked and grounded March 1906. Both ships tried to navigate past Cape Henry up the Chesapeake without calling for a a harbor pilot.
From Virginia Beach in Vintage Postcards by Alpheus J. Chewning, 2004
After 1983 two high-speed, 51-foot launches replaced the stationary Virginia III. They were based at the Virginia Pilot Association’s new headquarters just inside the Lynnhaven River. At the same time, a control tower was placed in operation behind the sand dunes close to the Cape Henry Lighthouse, taking over the radar and communications duties formerly conducted on board the Virginia III. Today every ship entering and leaving the Port of Hampton Roads, whether destined for a dock in Norfolk, Portsmouth, Newport News or Baltimore, must have a pilot on board to function as the captain until the ship is either safely docked or safely out into open sea. Almost all harbor pilots make six-figure salaries that can go up to a half-million dollars a year.
Above picture shows pilot boats docked at Lynnhaven Inlet.
High powered, very quick and durable, a Pilot Boat is built to withstand heavy seas and bumping against 100,000 ton tanker ships. They are painted a highly visible red.
1789 - The Two Lighthouses
They are located at Cape Henry within the Joint Expeditionary Base East (Ft Story). Congress approved legislation to establish and support lighthouses, beacons, buoys and public piers on Aug. 7, 1789, and being the first lighthouse authorized by the U.S. government, the original Cape Henry Lighthouse was built in 1792 and has long been important for the large amount of ocean-going shipping traffic headed for the harbors within the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Willis A. Hodges, an African American and first lighthouse keeper had to carry drums of whale oil up the slippery steps. Hodges became an influential black leader in Princess Anne County being the county's first black elected representative. During the Civil War, to keep it operational for Union ships, black troops from Fort Monroe were sent to guard it from Confederate attack. The newer, and still standing lighthouse, was completed November 1881, 350 feet away from the first one. Supplies for its construction, were transported on a seven-mile railroad spur built from the Lynnhaven inlet. This spur line would be replaced 21 years later by the Chesapeake Transit Company’s electrified trolley rail line. On January 29, 1964 the old lighthouse was designated a National Historic Landmark open to the public. In 1989, in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the signing of the act and the commissioning of the first federal lighthouse at Cape Henry, Congress designated Aug. 7 as National Lighthouse Day.
National Lighthouse Day Weekend
The Nineteenth Century
The War of 1812
War of 1812 Marker (front and back)
at Historic Jamestown Colonial National Historic Parks Cape Henry
Three American sailors were captured in 1806
and forced into British Royal Navy duty. Escaping from the British they enlisted
on the U.S. frigate Chesapeake, but when the Chesapeake cleared Cape Henry June
22, 1807, the British commandeered the ship and recaptured the Americans. This news
of yet another violation of American sovereignty along with British attempts to
restrict U.S. trade and block American westward expansion led the young nation
to declare war against England on June 18, 1812 (war of 1812). Less than a month later on July 8, 1812, just
off Cape Henry, on the topsail schooner Dash,
members of the Princess Ann County Militia, including Sgt. Brownley, Pvt.
Henderson and Pvt. Walke captured the British sloop, HMS Whiting, the first
ship captured in the war. All three men are buried in the Old Donation Cemetery.
They were honored as patriots by the War of 1812 Society, DAR and SAR on May 17th,
2014.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Whiting_(1805)
Not being part of the
American Navy; nonetheless, private armed vessels
such as the Dash were authorized to seize enemy
vessels.
Soon after several initial humiliating
defeats, the British sent a strong naval flotilla that would seize hundreds of
American vessels and raid towns up and down the James River attacking Norfolk
and burning Hampton to the ground. Despite the British strength, the Princess
Ann County Militia continued skirmishes with British landing parties along
Chesapeake beaches throughout the war which lasted until the Treaty of Gent was ratified by the U.S.
Senate on February 18, 1815.
The Twentieth Century
1902-Train Transportation. In 1902 the
Chesapeake Transit Company (later merged with the Norfolk and Southern Train Co.) opened an electrified trolley rail line. The line
ran east across Lake Smith on a trestle bridge and another across the Lynnhaven
River inlet on a rolling lift drawbridge, and on to a railway station at Cape
Henry which opened in 1904 and still stands today on the grounds of Fort Story
Naval Base. In 1905 the Cape Henry train line connected to the Norfolk and Southern line built north from the ocean front. This created a forty-two-mile electric train loop with train service operating every half hour. In 1926 the open spaces on
the surface of the bridge were planted over so that Norfolk and Southern Bus
Company could carry passengers to Cape Henry. The electrified trolleys were
replaced by gasoline-powered trains in 1935, with services ending at the end of the 1940's with the trestle bridge being torn down. The train station at Fort Story was
restored and used at one time as an educational facility by the Navy. Today it
is unused, and with talk of restoration, hopefully this historic landmark will
be preserved. A state historical marker installed in Sep 2017 near the
rail station will certainly help. It describes the past history of the rail
lines that ran through the cape.
The dedication of the Cape Henry Railroads Historical Marker was held on Saturday, Aug. 5, 2017.
The N&S electrified trolley #4 on the Cape Henry & VA
Beach line in 1904.
From Virginia Beach in Vintage Postcards by Alpheus J. Chewning, 2004
"Lighting the
Path to Local History"
"Transportation
in Virginia Beach"
Cape Henry.
Above map from “Twixt Ocean and Pines : the Seaside Resort at Virginia Beach 1880-1930,” page 131 by Jonathan Mark Souther Follow, University of Richmond UR Scholarship Repository Master's Theses Student Research (Note: Fort Story did not include the land around the light houses and O’keefe’s Restaurant and Casino east to the Atlantic until 1941)
William J. O'Keefe began his career as
the proprietor of an ice cream parlor in the basement of the Princess Anne
Hotel. Developing great affection for the cape, he opened the Cape
Henry O'Keefe Casino and Restaurant on July 4, 1903. Soon his
establishment became a success as trains brought customers east from Norfolk
and north from the ocean front.
Passengers
riding the line from the beach front saw few houses en route along the
Atlantic, only sand dunes, swamps, and pine woods. They must have
been startled when the thirty-two-room "Mansion in the Wilderness"
came into view. Built in 1906 by Dr. John Miller Masury, the palatial granite
residence was situated on about 130 acres of land between the ocean and Crystal
Lake. The Masury mansion was complete with ballroom, pipe organ, elevator, and
a half-mile lighted and covered cedar boardwalk that connected to an oceanfront
cottage.
The Mansion in the Wilderness, 515 Wilder Road, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Dr. John Miller-Masury House, also known as Lakeside (1906–1935), Crystal Club (1935–1939), and Greystone Manor (1942-present), was built in 1906–1908. From 1936 to 1939, it housed the Crystal Club, a gambling casino and nightclub. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._John_Miller-Masury_House
Over the next decade only two other houses were built on the
beach front, but at the cape resort there was much to see around O'Keefe's Casino and Restaurant. O'Keefe built
bathhouses, a soda fountain and ice cream parlor, refreshment stands, and a
dancing pavilion made popular by Borjes' Orchestra. Beach goers stayed in
cottages and a hotel.
from Virginia Beach in Vintage Postcards by Alpheus J. Chewning, 2004
1909 - Famous Original Oyster Roast at Cape Henry’s O’keefe’s Restaurant and Casino
Oct 8, 1913 - Oyster Roast at O'Keef's Casino and Restaurant
from Sargeant Memorial Collection, Norfolk Slover Library
Postcard of O'Keef's Casino and Restaurant, from the Robert J. Gilson Collection, Virginia Beach Public Library
O'Keefe's Casino would become the home of the famous Lynnhaven oysters. With
its long picnic tables that were restocked constantly with oysters, O'Keefe's
became a favorite, especially on New Year's Eve, when a special
dinner-breakfast of oysters and Smithfield ham was served. Beside the casino
other pastimes at Cape Henry included climbing and sliding down the huge sand mountains,
enjoying a picnic atop high points of land jutting out into the bay, and
picking wild huckleberries and blackberries. Cape Henry enjoyed such great
success that the Chesapeake Transit Company built larger facilities and soon
offered twenty-five-cent "moonlight excursions" to the cape every
night. In 1908 the Cape Henry Beach Company was formed to promote the Cape Resort.
Despite the considerable popularity of Cape Henry for daily excursions, it
failed to become a complete resort, and the Cape Henry Beach Company quietly
dissolved. The Cape Henry Syndicate assumed responsibility for the land and
revived lot sales for a time, but in a few years it also failed to make Cape
Henry a sizeable resort.
In 1909 President Taft made the Lynnhaven
Oysters famous after eating at O’Keefe’s Restaurant and Casino. He later had them delivered to the White
House, and by singing their praises Taft gave Lynnhaven Oysters national
attention and paved the way for wholesalers to ship them all over the east
coast. By 1912 Slade, C. M. Barnett
(early 20th century owner of the Ferry Farm Plantation Home) was shipping them
to New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel and Grand Central Station.
Taft had
originally come to the area in 1905 as Secretary of War to investigate
fortifying the bay. When Taft became president four years later, the bay
remained unprotected even though Fort Wool at the mouth of the James River had
in 1902 been funded for upgrade, but it did not protect the mouth of the Chesapeake.
A debate ensued over whether to build an
island in the middle of the bay or build a fortification at Cape Henry. The
Taft board recommended constructing an island fortress at a cost of about $2.6
million. To bolster support for the island which had been delayed, President
Taft came to back to the area in 1909 to deliver an address in which he
declared his support for the construction of the island fortification midway
between Cape Henry and Cape Charles. The island plan eventually proved too
costly, and in 1913 the federal government instead purchased land at Cape
Henry.
In 1914 the Virginia General Assembly officially turned over nearly 345 acres of pristine bay and ocean front property to the federal government for a military installation naming it for Gen. John Patton Story, a noted coast artilleryman of his day. His distinguished career lasted 40 years. But the land purchase did not include the two lighthouses or O’Keefe’s located just west of the 1881 newer lighthouse.
Maj. Gen. John Patten Story, former chief of artillery, died one year before Picture from “Images of America, Fort Story and Cape Henry,” by Fielding Lewis Tyler, 2005
After World War I Fort Story entered a period of post-war inactivity which lasted until the beginning of World War II. Not only did O’Keefe’s Restaurant continue in operation, but the production and distribution of illegal distilled spirits (moonshine) sprang up when prohibition was passed in 1920. Positioned at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, the wilds of the Cape Henry "Desert" had long been regarded as a "paradise for moonshiners." During this time, Cape Henry played a considerable role in eluding authorities and getting moonshine to locals and the Middle Atlantic region. Even a decade after prohibition ended in 1933, moonshine was still being produced in places along Shore Drive and shipped across the Chesapeake Bay and up the Eastern Shore to northern cities.
In 1941 the Headquarters of the Harbor Defense Command was moved from Fort Monroe to Fort Story requiring more land. Stretching to the ocean, it consumed the land where the two lighthouses and O’Keefe’s Restaurant were located. About this time O’Keefe’s closed.
In
preparations for WWII Fort Story again became active. Interior installations
were fortified, and fearing German submarines (U-boats) hundreds of mines were
laid at the mouth of the Chesapeake, the largest mining operation on the East
Coast. In June 1942, a U-boat came into the Chesapeake during the night dropping
mines of its own. Over the next few days, five ships collided with the enemy
mines and were sunk or damaged, the first time an enemy came to America’s
shores. It would be almost another 60 years before another enemy attacked our
homeland (September 11, 2001).
Ref: “Fort
Story’s Prime Seems Past, Swallowed by Time and Sea. Until Gunfire Crackles In
The Woods,” the Virginian Pilot, Nov 30, 2019 by Joanne Kimberlin http://www.pilotonline.com/military/vp-nw-fz-fort-story-then-now-20191130-si57g5kdrfh5jfew5mnusw5qpu-story.html
In 1944, Fort Story began to transition from a heavily fortified coast artillery garrison to a convalescent hospital for returning veterans. By the time of its closing March 15, 1946, the hospital had accommodated more than 13,472 patients.
1920 - The Order of Cape Henry 1607.
Just east of Fort Story the "Order of Cape Henry 1607" was
founded, and beginning in April 1920 yearly services were held to commemorate
Cape Henry as the birthplace of a Christian English-speaking nation. Celebrated
as the "Pilgrimage to the Cross," the event is the oldest, continuous
historical observance in Hampton Roads.
Documented in books and journals, gubernatorial papers and in the
Congressional Record of the United States, the Order has been named in the
proclamations of numerous Virginia governors and mayors, and has been the
subject of correspondence from several United States presidents.
On July 3, 1930 Colonial National Monument was authorized
and established. On June 5, 1936, it was re-designated as Historic Jamestown
Colonial National Historic Parks operated by the National Park Service including
several sites relating to the Jamestown settlers and historical events in the
area that include the site of the first landing at Cape Henry, the first
English settlement at Jamestown, the Yorktown battlefield, and a scenic 23-mile
Colonial Parkway running through the historic district of Colonial Williamsburg
linking Jamestown Island and Yorktown. The Cape Henry
Memorial Colonial National Historic Park was not incorporated into Fort Story until 1941. The park includes two lighthouses, the granite
"Cape Henry Cross," a statute of Admiral deGrasse, a
granite memorial to the Battle of the Capes, a three-panel
wayside describing Cape Henry's significance to America, the old Fort Story
train station, the First Landing Chapel, and a walkway leading to
the top of the sand dunes looking out at the Atlantic Ocean and the
entrance to the Chesapeake Bay.
The three-panel wayside describing Cape Henry's significance to America
The walkway leading to the top of the sand dunes
looking out at the Atlantic Ocean and the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay.
The web site for Colonial National Historical Parks, Cape Henry Memorial has the above pictures.
One of the celebrations in 1931 brought more than 10,000 people including President and Mrs. Hoover arriving by train.
On April 26. 1935 the National Society Daughters of the American Colonists donated a granite cross, the "Cape Henry Cross," replacing a wooden cross in the approximate location as the one erected April 29, 1607 by the Jamestown bound colonists. They unveil a plaque at the foot of the cross during the well-attended ceremony which read, “Here at Cape Henry first landed in America, upon 26 April 1607, those English colonists who, upon 13 May 1607, established at Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in America. Erected by National Society Daughters of the American Colonists April 26, 1935.”
Cape Henry Cross installed 1935 by the National Society Daughters of the American Colonists
1935 - the National Society Daughters of the American Colonists
unveil a plaque at the foot of the Cape Henry Cross
Visitors
came by the thousands to climb the old 1792 Cape Henry Lighthouse and see all
the historical monuments, plaques, and buildings (even after the lands where incorporated into Fort Story in 1941); but after 9/11, being within the
more secure Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, visitors had to park at the guard gate and board buses to be taken to the lighthouse. There they were not allowed to wander, which meant visitors did not know
whether or not they could leave the lighthouse for walks around the grounds.
April 28, 2019. Pictured above for the First Landing blessing
of the "Cape Henry Cross" celebration, Old Donation Episcopal Church (ODEC)
is shown which included ODEC Historic Traditions Commission members and Young
Historians. Led by the Reverend Robert Randall, ODEC then conducted a service
at the First Landing Chapel. This marked the fourth time ODEC has been
involved.
Beaches along the Chesapeake Bay become popular.
1919 - Chesapeake Beach known as Chic's Beach
There is a plaque here that reads "Chesapeake Beach, founded 1919." People instead have come to call it Chic's Beach. Luther "Chic" Ledington used to serve up limeade, ice cream, and hot dogs at his little stand.
No Longer a Funky Place. Gone are the days when Chic’s Beach was a funky place back in those days when Chic Ledington serving up hot dogs at his little stand and there were super cool bungalows dotting the landscape. Perhaps Chic’s Beach could take a lesson from the North End residents on the Ocean Front fed up with boxy, three-story duplexes towering over their beach cottages. In April 2016 they succeeded in changing a zoning law to preserve the neighborhood’s character and discourage large three story tract mansions. The Ocean Front new design guide stated, “porch lined streetscapes promote interest at the street level and community interaction,” designs now lost in the race to build more and more square footage on postage size Chic’s Beach lots, those three story "McMansions" snuffing out the beach view for others.
End of Bayview Ave where three-story duplexes tower over Chic's Beach.
Three homes on Ocean View Ave at Chic's Beach had practically no beach in front until 2018.
From the late 17th century when Chic’s Beach was known as Pleasure House Beach with an ordinary or tavern, the Pleasure House, that gave the beach its name to the 20th century when Luther "Chic" Ledington’s popular hot dog stand gave the beach a new name, this strip of beach was identified as an eclectic funky backwater from pirates to a melting pot mix of cafés and cottages. One such place was Tom Treesh’s house that looked like a boat. Treesh spent 20 years converting his home on Lauderdale Ave (a block away from the beach) to look like a boat. Then in 2013 Treesh’s ordeal with new neighbors helped mark the end of those bygone nostalgic days. When property values started soaring, those quaint cottages were replaced with three story condos with little to no character. People moving into these sleek air conditioned homes started complaining about Treesh’s home. Their complaints found their way to the city zoning board that had left Treesh alone for 20 years. By the end of 2013 he had it all torn down by order of the city, and by their doing so tore down one more piece of old Chic’s Beach.
Tom Treesh who spent 20 years converting his home to look like a boat, had to tear it down in 2013 after he failed to get correct permits.
Some of Chic’s Beach’s character still lingers, but only by searching. A quaint and funky house on Lauderdale Ave still stands. Hardly noticeable but looming behind the trees in the backyard is a 3 story McMansion.
“What's in a name? Chic's Beach,” the Virginian-Pilot, September 14, 2009
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/09/whats-name-chics-beach
“Man who spent 20 years converting home to look like a BOAT faces having to tear it down after he failed to get correct permits,” The Daily Mail, 19 May 2013
“Chic's Beach Sand Replenishment Inches Ahead,” Nov 29, 2014
“More sand Coming to Ocean View Beaches,” the Virginian Pilot, Mar 31, 2015
“Virginia Beach Neighborhoods Move to Restore Signature Beach Cottages,” The Virginian-Pilot,
“Judge Rules in Favor of Va. Beach in Chic’s Beach Restoration Case,” TV10 WAVY News, May 25, 2016
http://wavy.com/2016/05/25/judge-rules-in-favor-of-va-beach-in-chics-beach-restoration-case
1918 - Y.W.C.A. Camp Owasia. John B. Dey, for whom Broad Bay Manor / John B. Dey House, Dey Cove Drive and John B. Dey Elementary School were named, had extensive holdings in the area. In 1918 he allowed 25 girls from the Y.W.C.A. camp at Broad Bay Farm to use his property on Cape Henry Beach for camping, crabbing, fishing, and boating. Later in 1922, the Girl’s Work Committee purchased a cottage at Chesapeake Beach and accepted two adjacent lots as gifts from the Norfolk Lot Corp where Water Oaks and Aeries now exist. Named Camp Owasia (a Native American name meaning “camp of happiness”) it operated for nearly 20 years until World War II when the U.S. Army took over the land and used it for training special forces. After the war, the YWCA sold the property and purchased nearby Camp Lynnhaven, originally Camp Robert Hunt, which had been owned by the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia. Unable to pay for the high operating costs the camp closed in 1975, and in 1976 retirement community Westminster Canterbury bought the land.
Y.W.C.A. Women Return from a Swim in the Chesapeake Bay at Camp Owaissa
“About the YWCA South Hampton Roads: Highlights from 1911 -1961”
“Fun at Camp Owaissa – 1952”
1920’s - Ocean Park Beach
1940 Map of Ocean Park just west of the Lynnhaven
Inlet
From Virginia Beach in Vintage Postcards by Alpheus J. Chewning, 2004
The post card
(above) was taken from “Virginia Beach in Vintage Postcards,” by Alpheus
J. Chewning, 2004. It says, “People used to gather at Lynnhaven Inlet in the 20’s
to go bathing as well as so see and be seen.
Sundays were busy days and probably some came right from church. This picture shows a popular spot at Ocean
Park. The train brought most folks. The Lesner Bridge was not built at this
time, but the train did cross Lynnhaven Inlet and went on to Cape Henry and
Virginia Beach. The slide and the beach house were located just south of the
train tracks on the west side of the inlet” (where Lynnhaven Boat ramp and Beach Facility stands today). The Ocean Park Casino and
Amusement Park featured a merry-go-round, sky ride, dance hall and bowling. A
fire destroyed it in 1929. After rebuilding, a notorious August 1933 hurricane
completely destroyed the amusement park and washed away both sides of the
Lesner Bridge roadway. Again after rebuilding, it operated until 1940 when it
went into court-appointed receivership.
From Virginia Beach in Vintage Postcards by Alpheus J. Chewning, 2004
The 300 seat Serlich’s Restaurant in Ocean Park, is shown here in 1949 on the north side of Shore Drive at the west end of the Lesner Bridge (where Ocean Park Casino and Amusement Park once stood). In 1963 it was remodeled and named it the 7 Seas. The property was sold in 1978 for the “3556 On the Bay” high-rise condominium.
Ocean Park History - http://www.oceanparkhistory.org/Ocean_Park_History/2006.html
1945 - Seaview Beach
Seaview Beach was once called the largest and best "Negro Beach Resort in America." In 1927 the Hygeia Club built a 300 foot two-story frame building with a ballroom dance hall for whites only. In 1936, the building was sold and renamed Club 500. Big name bands were brought in and its popularity soared. The building was later sold to the Shriners of Virginia Beach and renamed the Templar Club. In 1945 the property, to include a 50-acre beach front tract, was acquired by 21 local black business and professional men. It opened on May 30, 1945 as Seaview Beach, the largest and best African American resort on the East Coast. A ballroom rocked with the sounds of Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday. Outside the starlight plaza was lined with colorful umbrellas and lighting for dancing under the stars. In 1947 amusements were added which included a Ferris wheel, merry go-round, auto scooter and swing carousel. Next door was Parker’s Beach Motel and Restaurant for overnight guests. When the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended segregation, Seaview Beach closed in 1964, but blacks could still not use Oceanfront’s Seaside Park as the remnants of Jim Crow laws still hung on. Seagate Colony Condominium was built in 1975 where Seaview Beach once stood. At first the high-rise attracted few buyers as beach front properties had been single family bungalows up until that time.
Seaview Beach 1947
Aerial View of Seaview Beach Amusement Park, 1947 - Virginia Beach,
Virginia (this aerial
view also shows land west of Seaview Beach and the intersection at Shore Drive
and London Bridge Road (today's Great Neck Road))
"Recovering Virginia’s African American Landscape,"
http://www.environment.cod.vt.edu/Posters/Originals/Deans%20Forum%20African%20American%20Poster.pdf
“Seaview Beach on Shore Drive in Virginia Beach and Sunset Lake in Chesapeake, Virginia”
http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~howardlake/amusement12/seaviewbeachva.html
"Our heritage : Black history : Princess Anne County, Virginia Beach,Virginia”
“Historically African
American Beaches; Vanished Relics of an Uncomfortable Past,” 20 May, 2013
“We'll see you at
Seaview - July 1947,” The Virginian-Pilot, Jul 9, 2017
When Sea View Beach and Amusement Park closed, blacks could still not attend ocean front beaches as Jim Crow laws still stayed mainly in place. Between Sea View Beach and Seashore State Park (renamed First Landing State Park in 1997) Parker Beach became a popular beach as public places for blacks became scarce. From 1947 to 1971 Thomas Parker and his mother maintained a place for blacks to enjoy the Chesapeake Bay.
1933 - Ocean Breeze Beach and Amusement Park
The park was opened on 75 acres along the Chesapeake Bay alongside Lake Joyce for African Americans during this time of southern segregation laws. W.W. Consolvo, John C. Davis and Joseph Nelson (all white), opened Ocean Breeze May 30,1933. The 75-acre tract had bath houses and a dance pavilion between a dozen concessions selling ice cream, pop, hot dogs and hamburgers. Rustic furniture was located in shady spots affording a perfect setting for picnics. The Norfolk Southern Bus Company ran a frequent schedule from Norfolk to Breeze Beach for the very low fare of 35 cents round trip.
1936 - First Landing State Park
Originally known as Seashore State Park until 1995, work was begun in 1933 by mostly African American workers of the Civilian Conservation Corps, a public work relief program, part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. The park opened on June 15, 1936, part of the first of six Virginia public parks to open. First-time tourists are surprised to find Spanish moss covering Bald Cypress trees, the farthest north this ecosystem exits. Local legend tells about Blackbeard hiding in the Narrows (the waterway called Long Creek leading into Broad Bay). During the War of 1812, its Cypress swamps were a source of fresh water for merchant mariners, pirates and military ships. During the Civil War the interior waterways served as landing sites for Union and Confederate patrols and blockade-runners. Now, as Virginia's most-visited state park, the Trail Center, opened in 2012, has a display conveying conditions during the First Landing in 1607.
Northern Most Ecosystem of
Spanish Moss Covered Bald Cypress
First Landing State Park's Trail Center
First Landing State Park's trail center at the south
entrance off of Shore Drive is the main hub for accessing the park trails (the
secondary access route for the trails is the 64th street entrance to the park).
Inside the trail center displays showcase local wildlife and area history plus
a meeting room for up to 45 people.
Just a few steps from the trail center on April 26, 1997 the
City of Virginia Beach and the Nansemond Indian tribe properly returned the
last 64 souls of Great Neck Point’s Chesepian (Chesapeake) Indians to their
rightful burial ground. A brief but solemn ceremony was officiated by Mayor
Oberndorf.
For information call 757-412-2320. This facility is maintained by the state. The nearby visitor's center at the entrance to the public beach is maintained by the City of Virginia Beach.
“City Commission Invites Public to Explore
Preserving History of ‘America’s Cape’,” the American Standard, July 2015 https://amercorps.wordpress.com/2014/03/17/cape-history/comment-page-1
“Bald Cypress”
“First Landing State Park's Trails”
http://www.first-landing-state-park.org/first_landing_trails.html
1933 – Ferry Service Across the Chesapeake Bay.
The Virginia Ferry Corporation, a privately owned public service company, began
purchasing vessels that could be used to carry both passengers and vehicles
between the Delmarva (Delaware, Maryland and Virginia) Peninsula and Virginia
Beach, a 15 mile wide expanse of the Chesapeake Bay five miles from the mouth
of the Atlantic Ocean. During its peak, the Virginia Ferry Corporation operated
90 one-way trips each day from Cape Charles to Little Creek with seven vessels,
i.e.,
*S.S. Accomac built in 1928,
*S.S. Princess Anne built in 1932,
*S.S. Delmarva built in 1933,
*S.S. Pocahontas built in 1941,
*Virginia Beach built in 1944,
*Old Point Comfort built in 1945, and
*Northampton purchased in 1948.
In
particular Princess Anne passengers danced in the spacious ballroom or visited
the snack-bar on Fridays and Saturdays while traveling to Cape Charles as if on
a cruise line. The S.S. Princess Anne, white with a cobalt-blue streamlined
funnel, frosted windows and golden initials, would become a model for styling
future ocean liners and cruise ships. Upon arriving at Cape Charles, passengers
caroused on Mason Avenue lined with shops, eateries, wares, novelty stores, and
the elegant Palace Theatre with productions that included Annie and the Wizard
of Oz. In 1951 the Cape Charles terminus
was moved seven miles south to a new pier at Kiptopeke which shortened the 85
minute crossing by 20 minutes. This began a downturn for Cape Charles. Finally
the 1964 opening of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel brought an end to the use of
ferries and added more recession to Cape Charles City which became an
off-the-beaten-path town several miles from the main north-south highway. But
the city experienced a rebirth in the 21st century. The town’s
cultural elements and beautiful scenery, combined with a laid back, small town
atmosphere, has encouraged an artist community to blossom with an influx of day
and overnight visitors with two Inns and three B&B’s.
The
above picture of the S.S. Pocahontas
is typical of the other six ferries. At one time, the Pocahontas, in honor of her name,
carried a flask containing earth taken from the grave of the Indian Princess
Pocahontas in Saint George's Churchyard in Gravesend, England.
Passengers enjoyed the dazzling success of that new
ferry "Princess Anne" and
danced or visited the snack-bar.
The History of Cape Charles
Historic Palace Theater
http://www.capecharlesbythebay.com/business/historic-palace-theatre
1940’s - Fish Nets
The holding area where pelicans leisurely fill their bills
Along Cape Henry are six fish net fences that lead fish into a holding area. Once a week the owners of the nets gather the fish not harvested by the pelicans. No longer permitted, these nets have been grandfathered, and once the fishermen die, that will be the end of the nets.
Mariners Mark (right) and Ocean Beach Resort Hotel (left) in the background
1960's Sand Replenishment on Chesapeake Beaches
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers first became involved with Lynnhaven Inlet dredging in the early 1960's which requires full maintenance-dredging every four years with the sand spread between Ocean Park Beach (just west of the Lesner Bridge) and Cape Henry Beach (the stretch from Lynnhaven Inlet to First Landing State Park) on an alternate four-year cycle. The sand was to be pumped from a barge through large hoses laid along the beach. The sand would create a wider beach for protection of condos against storms while creating a more appealing beach to residents and tourists. For years Cape Henry Beach was deemed sand sufficient, and the dredged sand went only to Ocean Park Beach in 1987, 1991, and 1997 (other places included First Landing Sate Park Beach and the Ocean Front) .
In 2002 a City Beach Management Plan called for replenishment at Cape Henry Beach, and in 2005 the City Council passed a resolution to accept easements from residents to prepare for a 2006 sand replenishment project from dredged Lynnhaven Inlet sand. About one-third of the condo associations on Cape Henry Beach balked, saying their beach front was private and wide enough. Mike Batchelor, president of the Cape Henry Towers resident board, feared that a nicer beach would bring more people and traffic to the already-congested strip off Shore Drive. He said, "When any government agency comes courting with offers to help, we're very leery as to what it may cost us in the long run. We don't need it. We don't want it." Not all condo associations were against the sand replenishment. Andrew Barnett, former president of the Lesner Pointe East Association had been pushing to get the sand for seven years. He tried to persuade homeowner groups to give the city easements because he fears one major storm could seriously damage their homes. Barnett said, "Those of us who really need protection are held hostage by all of this." The Shore Drive Community Coalition, an umbrella group of civic leagues, tried to mediate between the city and resident groups, but made little progress. The one hurdle was the question of who owned the beach. Some condo associations believed they did. Don Clark, an attorney hired by the city to research title issues, said beaches are considered public unless a landholder can prove a deed dating back to the king of England. The city, however, didn’t want to get mired in title spats with land owners since the city's policy was not to put sand down unless all property owners agreed that a beach is public. In the end the 2006 Lynnhaven Inlet dredged sand went, once again, to Ocean Park Beach. Ironically, by August 2019 Ocean Park Beach needed more sand than any other along the Chesapeake Bay.
“Sand is stirring up friction at Cape Henry Beach,” by Richard Quinn, The Virginian-Pilot, Nov 5, 2006
https://pilotonline.com/news/article_9cfb4439-277e-592d-a554-20900bf46639.html
The city made another plea to Cape Henry residents, this time in 2009 when dredging of Lynnhaven Inlet started again, this time on Cape Henry Beach, and as before, the call to halt sand replenishment work came from the Lynnhaven Dunes Condominium Association claiming in court their deeds showed that the beach belonged to them, but they were willing to give up their riparian (property) rights for $1.5 million. In a change from the past when Cape Henry lost out on sand, the court allowed the association to pursue their case while clearing the legal way for the Corps of Engineers’ contractor to continue with sand pumping on Cape Henry Beach. Not until October 15th, 2013, did a jury of the Supreme Court of Virginia decided Lynnhaven Dunes Condominium Association's water-access rights were worth nothing and the city should not have to reimburse the owners, a battle that cost the association a quarter of a million dollars. Even though the Corps of Engineers was cleared to have its contractor continue with sand replenishment operation, a November 2009 four-day nor’easter stopped all operations playing havoc on the beach. It damaged the Lynnhaven Pier, steps to the beach, and owners’ decks; leaving a trench in front of the 0.8 mile sea wall from Seagate Colony to Westminster Canterbury. The sand operation had enough sand to cover only part of the Cape Henry Beach from the Lynnhaven Inlet as far down as the Lynnhaven Pier, but because of all the storm damage, the city came through with an additional 50,000 cubic yards of sand (trucked in) between the Lynnhaven Pier and First Landing State Park.
“Va. Beach in Court over Cape Henry Beach Access” by Deirdre Fernandes
Mar 7, 2009, the Virginian Pilot
“Jurors Side with City in Virginia Beach Sand Lawsui”t, by Kathy Hieatt
Oct 16, 2013, the Virginian Pilot
"Virginia Marine Resources Commission Approves Truck-Hauling of Sand to Finish Cape Henry Beach Replenishment” February 5, 2010 -
“Sand men finish $2.4M dredge and replenishment project,” by Deirdre Fernandes, Feb 22, 2010, the Virginian Pilot
Damage steps down to Cape Henry Beach
Rebuilding Lynnhaven Pier Cost $500,000
Lynnhaven Inlet sand never reached beyond Ocean Park Beach as far as Chic’s Beach (running from "Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek Beach" east to "Aeries on the Bay Beach Park") and year after year residents watched storm after storm whittle away at their beloved shoreline with some stretches as narrow as 10 feet at high tide or no beach at all. Then in 2014, since Cape Henry Beach waterfront property owners having already gone through "public beach" releases (Chic’s Beach had not), the Lesner Bridge contractor found a ready-made home for that 60,000 cubic yards of sand on Cape Henry Beach.
"Public Works Schedules Sand Replenishment for Cape Henry Beach," May 02, 2014
In Nov 2015 Chic's Beach residents stood in dismay at the southern edge of their diminished beach watching as Norfolk's Chesapeake beaches from the edge of Chic's Beach seven miles to Willoughby Spit were widened by 60 feet with 1.2 million cubic yards of sand worth $18.4 million and a promise from the federal government to replace washed away sand every nine years for the next 50 years using 70% of federal funds, all thanks to Hurricane Sandy’s federal money that flowed after that 2012 disaster. Missing out on these golden opportunities for sand, Chic’s Beach continued to be straddled with several beach front property owners still refusing to give permission to place sand in from of their properties on beaches they claimed to be “private property.” Bruce Mills and Bill Page used old planning documents that attested to the fact Chic’s Beach was never meant to be public, but then Mills and Page never complained about free trash pickups or beach patrols on their “private” beach.
In 2018 Chic’s Beach finally got sand. The affected Chesapeake Beach (locally known as Chic’s Beach) area extends about one mile along the Chesapeake Bay from Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story east to Joyce Avenue. It took decades of planning and a court case to get critically needed sand for the rapidly eroding Chesapeake Beach. Storms destroyed the protective dunes and damaged backyard decks and other structures. Unlike the Ocean front, Chesapeake Beach, never has been on a regular replenishment schedule. It had been eroding for years, and the city couldn’t do restoration projects there because several property owners sued the city, saying the beach wasn’t public. They said the city would have to purchase easements to do a replenishment project. A lawsuit was resolved on May 25, 2016, when the Circuit Court ruled that Chesapeake Beach was public confirming the city had an easement that allows crews to add sand to the shoreline. The hold-out land owners were not happy and worried about non-residents, strangers, and other undesirables using what they had long assumed was their “private” beach. Bruce Mills was upset and told TV 10 WAVY News that “The city’s overreach is a violation of fundamental constitutional rights,” rights Mills and his supporters were willing to give up for more than $1 million. Paul Dimeck was also dismayed at the ruling and said it would bring more people and more cars. He told TV 10 WAVY News, “Where do they go to the bathroom?” worrying that the city might take the next step and install public toilets. The placement of sand took another two years for the city to come up with funding. When the Corps of Engineers received the lowest bid of $4.8 million, one million dollars had to be transferred from a fund for Oceanfront beach replenishment. The project finally got underway May 4, 2018.
“Chic's Beach Sand Replenishment Inches Ahead” Nov 29, 2014 http://hamptonroads.com/2014/11/chics-beach-sand-replenishment-inches-ahead
“Virginia Beach is $1 million Short for Chesapeake Beach Sand Replenishment,” Apr 2, 2018, by Mechelle Hankerson, The Virginian-Pilot
https://pilotonline.com/news/government/local/article_df050630-3101-11e8-96a0-57fd14c9607d.html “You Might Not Recognize Sections of Chic’s Beach,” May 4, 2018, by Mechelle Hankerson, the Virginian Pilot
https://wtkr.com/2018/05/04/you-might-not-recognize-sections-of-chics-beach
Area of proposed sand replenishment on Chesapeake Beach (Chic’s Beach)
In 2019, for the 3rd time Cape Henry Beach received sand (2009 & 2014). Beach replenishment for Cape Henry Beach started June 23, 2019 in conjunction with the Army Corps of Engineers’ Lynnhaven Inlet Maintenance Dredging project. Sand was placed 1.1 miles between the Lesner Bridge and Seagate Colony Apartments at 2830 Shore Drive. On August 8, after using all of the dredged sand, the operation was terminated leaving 0.8 miles between Seagate and First Landing State Park without the sand originally planed for that area. Normally sand replenishment only goes down Cape Henry Beach as far as Westminster Canterbury, but this year Cape Henry Beach got more sand as the result of additional Long Creek dredging.
Cape Henry Beach Replenishment update, June 24, 2019
https://sdcc.info/2019/06/24/cape-henry-beach-replenishment-update
These pictures show the sand project on July 25, 2019 in front of Chesapeake Bay Shores Townhouses, two weeks before the project ran out of sand at Seagate Colony Apartments.
This map delineates the dredged area and corresponding proposed sand placement areas. It failed by 0.8 miles to reach the border of First Landing Sate Park.
1982 - Westminster Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay was opened and today is a 627-unit
not-for-profit retirement community sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of
Southern Virginia and the Presbytery of Eastern Virginia. Designed for active
people age 62 and over with independent living, it also provides assisted
living and nursing care at a stable cost. To honor the church's original
mission, in 1992 Westminster-Canterbury established the Westminster-Canterbury Foundation
Fellowship Assistance Fund to a certain number of qualified individuals such as
people who have dedicated their lives to Hampton Roads and cannot otherwise
afford the initial move-in cost and monthly fees, both at the top price range
for this type of luxurious facility.
Westminster
Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay
2020 - In order to help solve a senior living housing shortfall, Westminster-Canterbury will build a 22-story glass tower and seven-story assisted living building. It replaces the 2017 purchased Lynnhaven Fishing Pier/restaurant/cafe and the 2019 purchased Casa del Playa Condominiums. Cost is estimated at $400 million and is projected to be completed in 2023, the largest private capital investment in the city’s history.
The Westminster
Calendar Girls. Inspired by the 2003
film Calendar Girls, six Westminster
Canterbury women, ages 73 to 83, decided to make a 2009 calendar by baring just
enough skin to raise an eyebrow or two. The calendar became a big seller
raising more than $13,000 for the Westminster-Canterbury Fellowship Assistance
Fund.
Westminster Canterbury Notables
* Nancy Hoy,
widow of president of Norfolk Hoy Construction Harold "Hap" Hoy,
donated one million dollars to help
people financially unable to live in the retirement community. The
assisted-living wing is named after her.
$1 Million Donated to Westminster-Canterbury
Retirement Facility,” the Virginian
Pilot April 1, 2006 http://hamptonroads.com/node/85211
* Isabel Marie Andrews
(1916 - 2003) felt the least she could do was organize 15 or so of her friends
to help greet Navy ships from the seawall in front of Westminster Canterbury as
they returned to the Norfolk Naval Station.
She knew when they would be coming from secret connections. Even when
her eyesight faded, she continued welcoming returning Navy ships with her
American flag waving.
Isabel Andrews welcomed countless
ships returning from deployment for eight years.
“92-Year-Old
Virginia Beach Woman Gives Homecoming Troops the Welcome They Deserve”
* Dr. Robert J. Stewart (1912 - 2014), a
retired podiatrist, led a productive, successful and happy life in spite of
having diabetes for 66 years. In his retirement at Westminster-Canterbury he
won five Gold Medals and set two world records in the Senior Olympics. He
promoted health and wholeness to residents, encouraging them to become more
active and eat right.
“Robert J. Stewart (1912 - 2014)”
“Taking
Control of Your Diabetes: A Practical Approach to Exercising For Life with
Diabetes”
Westminster-Canterbury opened its lawn to the public on September 14th, 2019. Called Bands on the Bay it featured live music by the Tiki Bar Band and Lewis McGehee. Several hundred attended the promotion for people interested in Westminster or just to listen to the music while having food and drink. Pictured above Tiki Bar Band lead singer Billy Kendra entertains several hundred
gests and residents.
1952 - The Duck-In
This was a
classic Virginia Beach seafood restaurant founded in 1952 when Bill Miller
bought the property. From its early beginnings it was a bait shack with a to-go
window where fishermen stopped to get tackle and breakfast sandwiches. Over the
years the little Duck-In grew and when Shore Drive was widened, Miller moved
the Duck-In 150 feet. Dredging of the inlet deposited more sand onto the
Duck-In beach, and by 1961, Miller owned more than 7 acres. His son, Bill,
renovated the building in the ‘80s to become a fully functioning restaurant. The
gazebo was a cornerstone in Cape Henry Beach, the center piece of weekly beach
parties, where literally hundreds of revelers began their weekend
festivities. Bands played for the party-goers
and diners.
In 2004 talk started about Duck-In
closing. The property had become too valuable for Bill to keep flipping hamburgers. There was also talk about moving the party to the Virginia Beach Resort Hotel, but
that never materialized when local resident around the hotel protested. In 2005 Bill closed the place, had it demolished, and moved to
Florida. The 7.6 acre lot sold in 2006 for an estimated $15 million. Citing
community concerns, developer, Tuck Bowie, downsized initial plans. In reality Bowie feared similar delays from local protests
over a nearby 122 acre development (now Pleasure House Point Natural Area) that
was going to turn wetlands into 1,063 homes, all nicely packed in.
Named Point Chesapeake Point on the Bay, five 4 story 3 bedroom beach front condominiums containing 40 units with a clubhouse for all is under construction to be completed sometime in 2017.
One remnant
of the Duck-In would live on. The gazebo, built in the late 1980s, would be renovated. Bowie was sensitive to the fact that it should remain a silent sentinel to
what once was. Adding to the sensitivity of the area Bowie's plans called for a public
pathway under the Lesner Bridge to Vista Circle with places to sit and watch
boats go by; a place for art displays at the scenic overlook on the southwest
side of the bridge; and an art feature at the intersection of Shore Drive and
Cherry Tree Place.
Timing was bad for the planned 2008 start of Chesapeake
Point. The real estate market tanked, and plans were put on hold for eight years until late
2015 when a $1.5 million sea wall was constructed, and in March 2016
construction started.
The last Duck Inn beach party was Aug 12, 2005.
Shortly after, the building was destroyed (above) making way for Chesapeake Point.
Point Chesapeake - rendering of the 5 four story (40 units) 3 bedroom beach front condominiums
(priced between $0.8 and $1 million), and Beach Pavilion (on the right almost under the bridge)
with existing gazebo on Cape Henry Beach (in front) to be restored
The 40 Point Chesapeake
condos will be shielded from busy Lesner Bridge by the 171 unit apartment Overture Point Chesapeake complex facing the bridge only 18
feet. Those facing Shore Drive were built specifically to limit noise featuring thicker
walls, double insulation and sound-dampening windows. The apartments consist of one and two bedroom units for senior citizens (61+).
They feature a pool, a rooftop lounge, a yoga studio, theater room, gym,
resident garden beds, hair and nail salon, bocce ball courts, a coffee bar and
bistro, salon, business center, and a kitchen used for cooking demonstrations.
The complex will also offer daily activities, which could include small club meetings,
wine tastings or movie events. Rents start at $2,210 and go up to $3,655. Units
will be ready July 2017.
Update June 2019: Point Chesapeake condos have limited sales and after two years only two of the planned five planned five buildings have been completed. Overture Point Chesapeake apartments are fairing not much better with about 10% occupancy after opening a year ago.
1956 – The Lynnhaven Fishing Pier
The 1,200 foot pier was built on Cape Henry
Beach in 1956 and has been family-owned and operated since. The
Cashmans, along with several business partners, built the pier in 1956 at a
cost of $80,000. Charlie Cashman’s daughter Bobbie Lou Duff continued running
the establishment along with her husband Hoyt Duff until Oct 2017 when it was sold
to the the next door retirement community Westminster-Canterbury. In 1962, the Ash Wednesday storm ripped off
the end of the pier. It was repaired and lengthened to 1480 feet. At first only
snacks were offered. In 1978 this was expanded to a full restaurant, the
Lynnhaven Fish House and the outdoor awning covered Pier Café. Other storms
would batter the structure through the years. In November 2009 a four day
nor’easter played havoc on the pier. Rebuilding and repairing cost $500,000
which included the addition of a “T” section at the pier end. This “T” section was
damaged by Hurricane Matthew Oct 10, 2016 and remains un-repaired and blocked off.
The 1480 foot long 20 foot wide pier was built on creosote piles driven 11 feet into the bay floor. The Pier Café is seen here with its bright blue canvas awning roof.
“Lynnhaven Fishing Pier being sold to retirement community,”
by Stacy Parker, The Virginian-Pilot, Oct 3, 2017.
https://pilotonline.com/business/real-estate/lynnhaven-fishing-pier-being-sold-to-retirement-community/article_ee69a8ec-117b-5f01-ae2a-48544bcf3b63.html
2017 update: Westminster-Canterbury purchased the Lynnhaven Fish House and the Fishing Pier. The restaurant closed Dec 31 2017 and all but 100 feet of the pier was demolished.
1960's - the Lynnhaven Anchorage
Located directly in front of Cape Henry Beach, this was a holding area for foreign colliers (coal ships) and cargo ships waiting for their turn at Portsmouth, Norfolk and Newport News docks for loading, together known as one of the largest coal-export complexes in the world exporting more coal than any other U.S. port. Most of what the colliers load is metallurgical, or "met," coal, a raw ingredient for making steel. Unlike the old days when foreign seamen were a fixture in Hampton Roads, only those with U.S. visas can venture ashore when their ship docks to load. Companies chartering each ship pay about $17,000 a day. Some colliers must wait as long as a month for their cargo to arrive, and when global coal demands are high, twenty or more colliers can be seen at Lynnhaven Anchorage waiting for their port call. Those colliers, tall ships, an occasional aircraft carrier, and the night lights along the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (Lucius J. Kellam Jr. Bridge) made the view from Cape Henry Beach more than just a horizon, all that is seen from the ocean front.
“Freighters - Floating Foreign Islands - Wait off Virginia Beach”
http://hamptonroads.com/2011/07/freighters-floating-foreign-islands-wait-virginia-beach
Cape Charles used to make profits from passenger ferry ships. Now their beach front is cluttered with coal colliers, the same ones that before April 2015 waited at the Lynnhaven Anchorage location until they were required to be anchored off Cape Charles causing an extra 30 mile, three- hour trip up the Chesapeake, and then an extra 30 mile, three- hour trip back to load coal. This has made a significant increase in expense for the coal colliers and the pilot boats. Why the change? Capt. Christopher Keane, who in June 2015 became commander of the Coast Guard’s Hampton Roads sector and the port captain, looked into federal regulations written in the late 1940s giving him discretion to permit merchant vessels to anchor at the Lynnhaven Anchorage. Even though current training is consistent with historical norms for off-shore exercises at the Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, East -Fort Story and even though there has never been any incident with colliers parked at the adjacent Lynnhaven Anchorage to these training exercises, Capt. Keane decided that ships in close proximity to naval exercises would impact the safety and security of his military people. Now with coal exports down due to a massive coal oversupply in East Asia, Hampton Roads’ chilling reception of coal colliers could not have come at a worst time with its competition vying for increased coal export among ports in New York, Baltimore, Savannah, Ga., Mississippi and Camden, N.J plus ports along the Gulf Coast.
Captain Christopher S. Keane
"Navy Training Moves Coal Ships to Cape Charles," the Virginian-Pilot, May 2, 2015
http://hamptonroads.com/2015/05/navy-training-moves-coal-ships-cape-charles
"Coal Exports' Weak Start Locally Could Signal Trend,” The Virginian-Pilot, May 11, 2015
http://hamptonroads.com/2015/05/coal-exports-weak-start-locally-could-signal-trend
On April 16th, 2014 wind gusts of more than 70 mph ripped collier ship Ornak’s anchor from the seafloor at the Lynnhaven anchorage and caused it to run aground just a few hundred feet from Seagate Colony at Cape Henry Beach. Before becoming mired in the sand the Ornak ripped apart a fish net structure (see above).
1963 Photo of Virginia Beach
It showed features that have changed since. Ocean Shore Ave. ran 9 miles from the Lesner Bridge through Fort Story and south down to the Ocean Front. Today it runs only just a little over a mile through Chesapeake Bay Shores to First Land State Park but is chopped into a dozen pieces within neighborhoods. North Great Neck Road was London Bridge Road and swung behind the John B. Dey school and down what is now Thomas Bishop Lane. At Bay Lake Pines, Lake Joyce was much smaller. Apparently Rt 755 ran through First Land State Park (now a bike trail), and Fort Story had no gate and traffic could go through. Non-existent were the Lucius J. Kellam Jr. Bridge Tunnel (opened for traffic April 1964) and Northampton Blvd which replaced much of old Shell Rd as the main route to the bridge/tunnel. The intersection of First Court Road and Pleasure House Road was called Robins Corner.
“1963 Map of Northern Portion of Virginia Beach”
1963 photo - This is one of the first houses built in the area at the corner of Ebb Tide & Shore Dr Ave.
1964 – The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel
Forty-two months
after construction began, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (CBBT) opened to
traffic April 15, 1964 replacing ferry services and becoming one of the seven
modern engineering marvels of the world. The CBBT is 23 miles long, crossing at
an angle to the 15 mile width of the Chesapeake Bay, 4 miles from the Atlantic
Ocean. Lucius Kellam Jr.
(1911–1995), a civic leader, worked for the CBBT development and
operation. As an Eastern Shore native,
businessman, and civic leader, Kellam brought the multi-million-dollar
bridge-tunnel project from a dream to reality.
After completion Kellam became chairman of the CBBT holding the post for
39 years. In 1987 the bridge-tunnel was officially
named the Lucius J. Kellam Jr. Bridge but few people know that and call it only
by its long name, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, unlike the nearby Lesner Bridge named that in 1928 when
a draw-bridge was constructed over the Lynnhaven River. The Ash
Wednesday Storm of 1962 destroyed some of the completed bridge work along with
a major piece of custom-built pile driver barge called "The Big D.” On a few occasions portions of the bridge have
been damaged by vessels. The bridge claimed 7 workers during construction and since
9 Feb 2016 there have been 79 traffic fatalities, with only 2 resulting from 15
vehicles, mostly tractor-trailers, being blown off the bridge in high wind,
fatalities held to a minimum by wind restrictions to various vehicles and
closed altogether when the winds exceed 65 mph. When a parallel bridge was
opened in 1999 to separate northbound and southbound travelers, head-on
collisions fatality rates fell. Opposing traffic still passes each other
closely in the two tunnels. In July 2016, Chesapeake
Bay Bridge-Tunnel Commission awarded a $756 million contract to Dragados USA for
a parallel tunnel tube to the Thimble Shoals tunnel. Construction is expected
to begin in October 2017 and take five years. Expansion of the second
underwater section in the Chesapeake Channel is tentatively slated for 2040 or
later.
“Dragados Awarded $756 Million Contract for
New Tube of Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel,”
"Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel and Lucius Kellam Jr."
1970’s - Cape
Henry Trail
The old railroad
right-of-way became a trail (Cape Henry Trail) for walkers and sometime in the
70’s was paved for bikers. From its west starting access at Jade Street it runs
1.5 miles to First Landing State Park. At Hatton Street (mile 1.3) Lesley Harlow
built an eclectic garden in the early 60’s complete with a Norfolk Mermaid, ten
foot skeleton and suspended Dark Knight. (2019) - the current owner has taken all of these ornaments down.
Crossing Kendall Street
the trail enters First Landing State Park and follows the rail line for another
0.4 miles of asphalt pavement before it diverges off the old rail line
following old Rte 343 / 755 for 5.5 miles to 64th Street (the
southern park entrance). From there Cape Henry Trail uses old Rte 343 for
a 1.5 mile mountain bike experience with lots of sand and patchy surfaces. It's
a rewarding little trek, with small hills, water views, and bird-watching. It
ends at the swimming and recreation area at the Narrows, a link of water
between Broad Bay and Linkhorn Bay. The VA Pilot dubbed it a Secluded
Beach Secret.
Trail Map - east section in First Landing State Park
“First Landing State Park Is A Secluded Beach Secret,” July 17,2009
1977 - The Sea Wall
The 1.8 miles of Cape Henry Beach (from the Lesner Bridge east to
First Landing State Park) are split approximately in the middle by an 0.8 mile
sea wall built in 1977. On both sides of
the sea wall, communities are protected from hurricanes by sand dunes which
require setbacks from the beach and, in most cases, obstruct bay view from the
first floor. Communities behind the sea
wall have a grand view of the bay and access directly to the beach. These
communities and businesses include (from west to east) Lesner Point East
Condominiums, Lynnhaven Beach Condominiums, Westminster-Canterbury on
Chesapeake Bay, Casa Del Playa Condominiums, Lynnhaven Fish House/Pier Cafe and
Pier, Ocean Shore Condominiums, Ships Watch Town Homes, Chesapeake Bay Shores
Town Homes, and Sea Gate Colony High Rise Condominiums. Cape Henry Beach has a total of
22 public access paths. The seven that step down from the sea wall are paved
and afford lots of free parking along Ocean Shore Avenue and three cul-de-sacs
in Chesapeake Bay Shores. Those 15 access points on either side of the sea wall
have very limited parking with one concrete (partial) and three plank paths,
one of which is a handicapped access (at the end of Sandalwood Road). The
others are sand. The three high rise condominiums are Harbour Gate and Cape
Henry Towers near the Lesner Bridge and Sea Gate Colony just west of Virginia
Beach Resort Hotel and Conference Center. Ships Watch and Chesapeake Bay Shores are the
only town homes. The sea wall is composed of 3
x 15 foot tongue and groove precast reinforced concrete sections with a 1 x 1.5
foot concrete lip. Sections were anchored 8 feet into the sand using water
jetting, a method of sinking wall sections with high pressure water.
One of 24 Chesapeake Bay
Shores town homes situated behind the sea wall
with a grand view of the bay and direct access to the beach
1978 – Low Rent Regatta.
The "Low Rent Regatta" (Picture from "Gone but not Forgotten,VA Beach,"
by Jordan Shepherd and James Jordan IV, 2008)
In mid-July at a Hobie 32 Fleet
meeting (catamaran sailors), the Chesapeake Beach crew was chastised because
they could not afford to participate in an upcoming regatta. An offhand comment
noting their “low-rent district” ignited what would become a 20-year
inexpensive fewer-rule Low Rent Regatta with proceeds of nearly $250,000 given
back to the community. It was 26-miles, north and west through the first
Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel opening, north and east through the second opening
and back to shore. The Labor Day event saw hundreds of Hobie Cat entries, preceded
and followed by wind-surfing, volleyball tournaments, and parties - all hosted
by the Fort Story Officers Club on their beachfront for the last 15 years of
the event. In 1984 Virginia’s Governor,
Chuck Robb, showed up to award trophies. In its heyday as many as 189 boats
raced. With the waning popularity of catamarans, insurance, and city
regulations, after 20 years the 1998 Labor Day weekend was the final race
coupled with a final party celebration. The Low Rent Regatta was one of the
largest and longest-running catamaran races ever held and left lasting
friendships among communities up and down the Chesapeake beaches. On Sept. 9,
2017 a Low Rent Regatta 20 year reunion was held at Bouy 44. Boaters
and onlookers of the bygone Labor Day sailing event came together to celebrate
and remember.
“ ‘The more beer we drank, the better the idea
became’: Beach sailors remember Low Rent Regatta,”
1986 – The Virginia Beach Resort Hotel and Conference Center
Becomes the Delta Hotel by Marriott
At 2800 Shore Drive, the hotel opened in 1986 becoming the only hotel in Virginia Beach on the Chesapeake. VBRH&CC provided sunset views from 295 suites. Featured was the Tradewinds Restaurant, in &
outdoor pools, a fitness center and coupons to play tennis at nearby Virginia
Beach Tennis and Country Club. A summer
concession in front of the hotel rented various non-motorized water craft. A Segway outlet featured rides on Cape Henry
Trail. The hotel provided an option for young
groups that needed a place away from the hustle and bustle of the beach front
with calmer waters.
From left to right on the ground floor – outdoor pool, indoor pool, patio bar, Tradewinds Restaurant with deck under the striped awning and the Sunset Ballroom under the sloped roof.
The hotel’s biggest moneymaker was hosting wedding ceremonies on the beach along with receptions, rehearsal dinners, luncheons and room rentals.
Typical setup for a wedding out in front of the hotel
Not long after its opening the hotel spent $1 million renovating Tradewinds Restaurant and building a ballroom. Ballroom plans showed a flat roof so that next door Mariner's Mark Condominiums would not have an obstructed view of the beach. But a sloped roof was built instead which obstructed the view for several of Mariner's Mark units. This began an unfriendly association with local neighbors. Next up were plans to build a 980-square-foot gazebo on Cape Henry Beach. Included in the zoning petition was license for bands which were playing at the Duck Inn (soon to closed). Residents came out in large numbers to a hearing on the hotel’s proposals in January 2005. With strong opposition the hotel put off plans for the band and gazebo.
Hotel ratings have been a mixed bag from “an unforgettable stay” to “a miserable experience.”
For years a summer concession of the VBRH&CC Hotel rented out jet skis. They were noisy and dangerous to swimmers, just one more hotel operation creating sour relations with neighbors. The jet ski controversy was finally brought to a head in 2007 by local resident Ray McDaniels who cited various code violations. He was instrumental in having them banned from the beach.
Ray McDaniels led the fight to get jet skis banned from the beach.
Update: The hotel was closed in late 2018 and sold to the Marriot Corp. Throughout 2019 and 2020 major renovation have taken place and reopened March 22, 2021 as the Delta Hotel by Marriott, a full-service hotel. Bayfront dining at the Tin Cup Oyster Bar and Grill replaces the Tradewinds. Call 757-481-9000 for reservations.
https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/orfdb-delta-hotels-virginia-beach-bayfront-suites
1990’s Colorful Characters at Cape Henry Beach
Cape Henry Beach has always had its colorful characters being a beach free of police enforcement, a place where dogs can run free and kids don’t have to worry about the huge ocean waves.
Louis Perna II (Lu) lived in a cardboard box on Cape Henry Trail near North Great Neck for approximately 5 years in the 90’s taking walks with his dog on Cape Henry Beach.
“Goad: 'He Chose The Life He Wanted To Live'”
Beach Bill took walks in the 90’s for many hours every day along the shores of Cape Henry Beach – always with his wide brim hat and a can of beer in his hand.
Beach Bill, Salon Marketing - http://www.beachbill.com
Beach Bill’s Daily Stroll on Cape Henry Beach
|
1957 - Lynnhaven Bridge Becomes Lesner Bridge
First called the Lynnhaven Bridge, it was built across the Lynnhaven Inlet at the mouth the Chesapeake Bay. The first bridge for automobiles, a draw-bridge was constructed in 1928 next to the train trestle. It was replaced in 1957 by a two lane spans and renamed the Lesner Bridge after John A. Lesner, a Democratic Virginia State Senator who represented Norfolk City and then served on the State Highway Commission beginning in 1908. Westbound lanes were constructed as a parallel span in 1966.
The new Lesner Bridge opened to traffic on May 30, 1958. The older draw span is visible to the left of the new bridge. From Virginia Beach in Vintage Postcards by Alpheus J. Chewning, 2004
The 21st Century
Rendering of the Lesner Bridge Structure originally scheduled to be completed June 2017
2003 - Early Stages of Planning a Replacement. The bridge deck was found to be structurally deficient with the bridge piers judged to last another 50 years. Nevertheless, it was decided to replace the entire bridge. In 2005 the city asked residents
to vote on two possible alignments. Since most residents live on the north side
of Shore Drive, the overwhelming choice was a right-of-way calling for the
bridge to be built in two steps, first
a new east bound bridge south of the existing bridge and then demolition of the
entire bridge so the west bound lanes could be built in the footprint of the
old bridge. This construction allowed for four lanes to remain open during
construction since the single new 40 foot wide bridge could temporarily handle
four traffic lanes. Dimitri Hionis (owner of Bubba's Restaurant, the
Lesner Inn and a shellfish company) worried about losing parking space and the
Maryland and Virginia Pilot Association worried about traffic noise for the pilot
boat employees’ sleeping quarters which would end up closer to the new bridge. Further, the argument was made that the south alignment would cause the high voltage power lines to the south of the bridge to be replaced. Estimates ranged
over $20 million, but there was no consideration of placing the lines inside the
box girder space of the new bridge, a relatively inexpensive and eye pleasing
alternative. Was this a ruse to justify the northern option that is close to
existing housing? With these two arguments the City Council agreed in early May 2009 on the northern option, i.e., the west bound lane bridge would be the first built, bringing the
northern alignment within 18 feet of the new Overture at Chesapeake Point apartments. Dorinda
Ennis, a 3556 Condominium condo owner on the west side of the river said, "The northern alignment takes a premier
building, ours, and squishes it near the bridge. It was very disappointing." A 2012 Charette (planning meeting) was supposed to present various plans to citizens, from Spartan to luxurious. But instead, the designers had practically finished the design of a luxurious replacement bridge. The meeting was simply to ask citizens what railing and lamp posts they liked best. Attending the meeting were local citizens who were enthusiastic about their future “Cadillac” bridge.
Cadillac Bridge. With over 21,000 bridges in Virginia there are over 1,200 structurally deficient and over 3,000 functionally obsolete. This danger lingers because the federal government hands out highway funds to states with no restrictions on how they spend the money.
The Lesner Bridge is a shining example. The 1,575 ft bridge over the Lynnhaven
inlet will still provide 4 traffic lanes (2 each way) but will be 15 feet
higher and each bridge 20 feet wider to accommodate extra wide shoulders and multi-use
paths; luxuries preventing money for other bridges in need. At $115 million the cost of the Lesner Bridge replacement is more than 6
times the cost of the Old Lesner Bridge which was built for $1.1 million (1957)
and $1.2 million (1966) or $18.2 million in 2017 dollars. The bridge deck was designed with precast box-girders, 14 between two piers, held in place by an overhead gantry until steel rods are strung through holes in the box-girders and pulled into tension. If these box girders are damaged, repair is going to be very, very expensive since the whole section from pier to pier would have to be replaced. In a storm a barge could accidently ram into the bridge (as has happened to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel).
Botched Estimate. As things turned out the city got burned by the
engineering consultant, Clark Nexsen International Architecture and Engineering
Consultants “that botched its estimate,”
and its $89 million cost estimate ended up at $115 million. Since the
state and feds refused to kick in additional money, the city had to pony up the
additional $26 million.
Construction Delays. Work started Jul 2014, and the two spans were
originally scheduled to be fully operational June 2017, but that date slipped a year and a half past June 2017. Each day the project was
late, the city leveled $3,200 in “liquidated damages” to the builder, McLean
Contracting, for not finishing on time. This added up to about $1.7 million dollars. One delay occurred at the initiation of the project when the overhead gantry arrived from Italy. The assembly instructions were in Italian holding up progress for over a month while they were translated into English. Nothing has been printed in the papers about what the final liquidated damage assessment was (or the final cost).
Design Flaw. As the wood guard rails begun to be installed, the city inspector was warned about their improper placement. They were being placed too near the concrete curb. Vehicles driving too close to the shoulder should hit the curb first warning them to steer away to the left. By hitting the rail first, damage is caused to both vehicle and guard rail costing both the state and vehicle owner thousands of dollars in repair. For the first year there were four vehicles hitting the wood rail, with one smashing in to the end post. Damage to the rail and vehicle could most likely have been prevented if the guard rail had been set back a foot from the curb. Further, guard rails at the entrances to the bridge have no sloped wood rail section allowing the vehicle to slide up causing much less damage to the vehicle. This type of sloped rail was installed a half mile to the west on the east bound lane on the right side over Pleasure House Creek. In June 2019, at the entrance to the Lesner Bridge, the west bound lane guard rail was severely damaged along with major damage to the vehicle. Instead of a sloped rail stopping the vehicle gradually, the impact stopped the vehicle almost instantly with passenger injuries.
Colorful Lights under the Bridge. Drive into Bubba's Restaurant parking lot some night and look at the colorful lights under the bridge. Too bad this colorful display is only visible to boaters and restaurant folks.
What’s in a Name? The Lesner Bridge (named for
State Senator John A. Lesner’s State Highway Commission service) was named the
Lynnhaven Bridge when it was a draw bridge before 1958. At the beginning of
construction the city felt the time had come for a new name. In February 2016, supported by the local newspaper, suggestions came in to rename the bridge in honor of US
Navy Admiral Jeremiah Denton or change it to its commonly known name of
Lynnhaven Inlet Bridge. Local residents and the Lesner family oppose the change
and a public poll resulted in no support for the name change.
Note: The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel
(CBBT) was named the Lucius J. Kellam Bridge (name didn’t stick). Sea Shore State Park was renamed the First
Landing State Park in 1999 (name has stuck but not for old timers in the area).
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Excellent write up about Cape Henry. I appreciate that there are historians out there like you who work tirelessly to record this kind of information.
Great Work!
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