The Chesapeake Bay : History Happened Here

The Chesapeake Bay : History Happened Here (HMNBG)

Location: Virginia Beach, VA 22401
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Country: United States of America
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N 36° 57.979', W 76° 6.728'

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Inscription

Cape Henry in Peace and War

Directly to the east is Cape Henry, which along with Cape Charles, define the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay. Both "old" and "new" Cape Henry lighthouses are visible.
In September, 1781 the waters off Cape Henry witnessed two-and-a-half hours of naval warfare. That month, America's ally France sent ships to deny an English fleet access to the Bay. This battle off the Cape allowed General George Washington to finish the siege of Yorktown, Virginia. The British Army could not be rescued.
The new United States government built the old Cape Henry Lighthouse in 1792, its first federal work project. The light, which cost $17,700 to construct, ensured safe sailing commerce on the Virginia and Maryland coasts. Almost 100 years later a new lighthouse was built of steel for safety reasons. It opened in 1881.
Details
HM NumberHMNBG
Tags
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Placed ByHampton Roads Naval Museum Local History World Events
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Wednesday, September 17th, 2014 at 9:47am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 401001 N 4091713
Decimal Degrees36.96631667, -76.11213333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 36° 57.979', W 76° 6.728'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds36° 57' 58.74" N, 76° 6' 43.68" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)540
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 401-499 Lucius J. Kellam Jr Bridge-Tunnel, Virginia Beach VA 22401, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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