
DATE: Tuesday, June 17, 1997                TAG: 9706130096

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E3   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY KRYS STEFANSKY, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   88 lines

OLD CAPE HENRY LIGHTHOUSE 90-FOOT HISTORIC TOWER OFFERS 360-DEGREE VIEW FOR MILES AROUND

TO GET LITTLE legs pumping, disguise an outing as a workout or enjoy a really terrific view, visit the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse. A trip to this National Historic Landmark can be a neat history lesson, too.

The sturdy brown tower rises from a knoll on the Fort Story Army base. A wooden kiosk at the bottom houses a ticket-taker, informational brochures and an assortment of post cards.

We paid admission and started up the 76 concrete steps to the base of the tower.

Only two steps up the hill we encountered our first huffing, puffing lighthouse enthusiasts. ``It's lotsa steps,'' warned a descending tourist. ``Lots of 'em.''

But it's worth the effort. By reading the historical markers all over the site, you can piece together the story of this venerable old light.

Gov. Alexander Spotswood first proposed building a lighthouse here in 1720. He asked Maryland to help foot the bill. But squabbles between the Virginia House of Burgesses and the Province of Maryland stalled construction plans.

Then the American Revolution stopped things cold. During the war, ships relied on signal fires and a lookout station to warn them of approaching enemy ships.

In 1789, President George Washington restarted the project.

Construction started on Aug. 1, 1791. One year and $17,700 later, the lighthouse finally fired up its whale-oil lamps.

Sandstone used in the 90-foot tower came from the Aquia, Va., quarries. It is the same stone used in Mount Vernon, the U.S. Capitol and the White House.

Civil War fighting damaged the light in 1861. Until service was restored in 1863, a lightship traveled between Cape Henry and Cape Charles.

The Old Cape Henry Lighthouse marked the entrance to Chesapeake Bay until 1881 when it was replaced by the black-and-white lighthouse next door.

All this history is lost on very little people, but we found 8-year-old Elizabeth Womack at the top of the hill with her dad and her notebook. She was here to do a school report.

The view from the hill is great. Bring 25 cents to use a pair of long-range binoculars.

Then duck through the door and cool off. Thick, damp walls make the tower feel chilly even on a warm day. An iron spiral staircase winds its dizzying way up and around to the top.

At the end of the 84 steps is an alarming surprise - an iron ladder to negotiate and then a second one that leads to what looks like an impossibly small rectangular opening. This was where we met little Taylor Ereio, a 4-year-old Beach resident whose mother says he's a lighthouse fan from way, way back.

``He just loves lighthouses,'' said his mom, Noreen. ``He has a whole collection.''

As we eyed the hole in the ceiling, Taylor offered his opinion.

``You can make it,'' he said.

Nevertheless, this is not a tour for the excessively broad-shouldered nor ample-hipped. And on another note - skirts are a bad choice for this outing.

One-by-one we all squeezed through and got our reward - a 360-degree view for miles around. We got a tower-to-tower look at the new black-and-white lighthouse a few hundred yards away. We saw container ships just off the coast, high-rise hotels on the Virginia Beach resort strip, treetops stretching southward like a green quilt, and the Chesapeake Bay-Bridge Tunnel necklacing off to the west.

And above it all, was the big, big sky.

We drank in the view and the ambiance of the octagonal glass room. The lighthouse windows are framed by copper. The cupola ismade of copper, too.

We looked around, listened to our voices echo in the empty space, and then headed back down through the hole.

A word to the queasy - if you have a fear of heights or tight spaces, stay on the ground. I was glad our brave Dad went ahead and guided my feet to the ladder. ILLUSTRATION: D. KEVIN ELLIOTT/The Virginian-Pilot

Ohioan Lily Rambacher and her children, Leah, 9, Daniel, 7 and Joey,

5, enjoy the view from the lighthouse.

IF YOU GO

What: Old Cape Henry Lighthouse

Where: Atlantic Avenue at Fort Story

Summer hours: Daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Nov. 2

Admission: $2 adults, $1 seniors and children 6 to 15. No charge

for children 5 and under or military in uniform.

Call: 422-9421

Local's tip: This is a picturesque spot for weddings. Call

430-2623.

OLD CAPE HENRY LIGHT