Thimble Shoal Light is a
sparkplug lighthouse in the Virginia portion of
Chesapeake Bay, north of the
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's ...
channel.
The third light at this location, it is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places.
History
The first light at this location was a hexagonal
screw-pile lighthouse erected in 1872, replacing the last
lightship Lightship may refer to:
* Lightvessel, a moored ship that has light beacons mounted as navigational aids
* '' The Lightship'', a 1985 American drama film directed by Jerzy Skolimowski
*''The Lightship (novel)'', by Siegfried Lenz on which the film ...
stationed within the bay. It was destroyed by fire in 1880 and replaced in the same year with a new house on the same foundation. This was facilitated by the availability of a newly constructed house originally intended for the
Bells Rock Light
The Bells Rock Light was a lighthouse located in the York River in Virginia.
History
In the nineteenth century, West Point, Virginia was the head of navigation on the York River, and this light was requested in order to facilitate navigation t ...
, so that the light was out of service for only fifty-five days.
The second light was plagued by collisions with passing ships: it was struck by a steamer in 1891, by a coal barge in 1898, and finally by the schooner ''Malcolm Baxter, Jr.'', which struck the lighthouse on December 27, 1909 while under tow. This last collision damaged the foundation and overturned the stove in the house, which was destroyed by fire.
A caisson light was placed next to the old site in 1914; in the meantime, a temporary light perched on the remains of the old screw-pile foundation. This light has several unusual features for such lights in the bay area, most notably the diamond-shaped panes in the lantern and the round porthole windows. Unlike its predecessors, it passed time relatively uneventfully, with automation coming in 1964. The broken, skeletal remains of the old foundation remained next to the light until their removal in the 2000s. As with most lights the original
Fresnel lens has been removed, replaced by more modern beacons; in this case the lens is displayed at the Coast Guard Training Center in
Yorktown, Virginia. Though worn from years of vacancy, it retains most of the canopy over the lower level gallery. In 2005 it was sold at auction to a private interest, but remains an active aid to navigation.
Notes
References
*
Thimble Shoal Light Station's National Register of Historic Places NominationThimble Shoal Lighthouse, Virginia
from LighthouseFriends.com
NOAA Navigational Chart 12254: Chesapeake Bay Cape Henry to Thimble Shoal Light
*
External links
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Buildings and structures in Hampton, Virginia
Houses completed in 1914
Lighthouses completed in 1914
Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia
National Register of Historic Places in Hampton, Virginia