Impressions of Virginia: Old Comfort Lighthouse

Old Point Comfort Lighthouse in Fort Monroe, Virginia is the second oldest lighthouse on the Chesapeake Bay and the oldest still in use. It is the 3rd adventure Dawn and Laural experienced for their upcoming exhibit "Impressions of Virginia".

To get to the Old Point Comfort Lighthouse from Fredericksburg, the duo would travel I-64 East to exit 268. Exit 268 is the Fort Monroe exit, but is also the last exit before the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel. Dawn was ecstatic this would be their exit. Yes, she is one of those people who dislikes tunnels. However, with the encouragement of her friend and co-exhibitor Laural, Dawn drove across the moat bridge and through the garrison entrances to Fort Monroe. Quick side note: It is not required to enter Fort Monroe to see the Old Comfort Lighthouse.

According to lighthousefriends.org "Old Point Comfort Lighthouse marks the entrance to historic Hampton Roads, a substantial harbor situated at the mouths of the James, Nansemond and Elizabeth Rivers, and stands on ground which has seen many a fort constructed nearby to defend this important waterway. The tower’s present neighbor, the Civil-War-era Fort Monroe, was preceded by colonial Fort George, which in turn was probably preceded by an even earlier fortification. A navigational beacon on Old Point Comfort was active as early as 1775 when John Dams, caretaker of the ruins at Fort George...Some historians believe that Native Americans kept wood fires burning at the Point before that for the benefit of Spanish ships during the sixteenth century." Today the lighthouse is maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard is on the Register of Historic Places.

The duo's excursion was Dawn's second trip to the area and Laural's first. Dawn and her hubby visited Fort Monroe not long after it was decommissioned in 2011, but she didn't see the lighthouse on that particular day. Dawn remembers the day as cold and gray she recalls telling hubby "we must put this on our 'come back here' list"; it took nearly 10 years, but she made it back. Laural, while walking around the grounds, voice, "I need to bring Carl (her hubby) here.

Want to know more about their impressions of the Old Comfort Lighthouse and to see the resulting artwork in person? Come to the Opening Night of their exhibit "Impressions of Virginia" on December 10th, 2021 at Dockside Realty in Colonial Beach, VA.