Why is National Lighthouse Day celebrated every August 7^th? The Lighthouse Act of 1789 was approved by the new United States government. This act established that a lighthouse would be built at Cape Henry and was signed into law by President George Washington. (Check out the copy in our museum shop!)

Learn the history of our lighthouse from pre-Revolutionary War to present day, the Lighthouse Act of 1789, the history of both Cape Henry Lighthouses and the importance of lighthouses today. There will also be a video from the 1950s of the US Navy using the Cape Henry Lighthouse as a navigational aid and a special Dune Talk about the Fresnel Lens in the lighthouse.