The Cherrystone Bar Light was a lighthouse located at the entrance to

Cape Charles, Virginia Cape Charles is a town / municipal corporation in Northampton County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,009 as of the 2010 Census. History Cape Charles, located close to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, on Virginia's Eastern Shore, ...

harbor in the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / ...

. It was the only light in the bay moved to another location, becoming the

Choptank River Light The Choptank River Light was a screw-pile lighthouse located near Oxford, Maryland. In its second incarnation it was the only such light moved from another location in the Chesapeake Bay. History The first light at this location was built in 1871 ...

in 1921.

History

This light was constructed shortly before the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, and like the other Virginia lights, it was put out of commission by the Confederate forces. It was reactivated by Union forces in 1862. In 1919, a simple skeleton tower on a small caisson was erected to replace the old light. The following year, the house was lifted from its foundation and barged north, where it was set on a new foundation to replace the

, which had been destroyed by ice in 1918. This light was eventually dismantled in 1964, but the caisson light at the original location remains in use.

References

*
Cherrystone Bar Light
from the Chesapeake Chapter of the

United States Lighthouse Society The United States Lighthouse Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to aiding in the restoration of American lighthouses and educating the public about their history. With four chapters, and more than a dozen affiliates, it is one of the ...

* {{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1858 Lighthouses completed in 1919 Lighthouses in Virginia Buildings and structures in Northampton County, Virginia Transportation in Northampton County, Virginia Lighthouses in the Chesapeake Bay 1858 establishments in Virginia