Thimble Shoal Light

Thimble Shoal Light is a navigation lighthouse in Hampton Roads standing 55 feet (17 meters) above Chesapeake Bay waters with a cast iron tower featuring three levels and round windows. It sends white flashing signals that can be seen from up to 20 miles away to guide vessel traffic.

The structure was built in 1872 as a hexagonal screw pile tower and experienced a fire in 1880 that required reconstruction. In 1914 it received a new caisson foundation to better withstand Bay conditions.

The light represents how seafaring communities adapted their navigation methods as construction techniques improved in the 1800s. Its standing structure became a symbol of permanent maritime infrastructure replacing temporary solutions.

The light stands in a busy shipping lane, so it is best viewed from a boat or from coastal vantage points ashore. Water access is important since the structure sits far from shore in the channel.

Two workers died during the 1914 reconstruction, and the building is one of only two caisson lights on the Bay that kept its original gallery roof. This preservation makes it a rare example of authentic construction details from that era.