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WHAT IS IT?
A ten-foot high granite cross commemorating the approximate location of the Jamestown colonists’ initial 1607 New World landing.
The Site also remembers the offshore site where, in 1781, French warships defeated the British and thus prevented those ships from aiding Gen. Cornwallis at nearby Yorktown, which resulted in the Redcoats’ leader surrendering his Army to Gen. George Washington.
BEAUTY (4/10)
A small manicured lawn and a boardwalk overlook of the rambunctious Atlantic Ocean have their own subtle beauty, just not one that sells many postcards.
HISTORICAL INTEREST (4/10)
On April 26 1607, thirty members of the Virginia Company’s three expeditionary ships disembarked and set foot onto the New World. They planted a cross in the ground and christened the land Cape Henry. Then they got back onto the boats, traveled up the would-be James River, and established the first permanent English New World settlement at Jamestown. Historic, yes. Interesting, not so much.
More interesting is the 1781 off-the-Cape battle where the French fleet, under the leadership of Admiral Comte de Grasse stopped the British Navy from reinforcing General Cornwallis at Yorktown, enduring the Continentals victory and America’s lasting independence. As stirring as this incident may be, staring out into the anonymous open ocean hardly elicits an understanding of naval strategy.
CROWDS (6/10)
The Military Personnel who searched our car were really nice.
EASE OF USE/ACCESS (2/5)The Cape Henry MEM, as inferred, is located on the Fort Story Military Reservation, found at Virginia Beach’s most northeastwardly tip. Fort Story has two entrances Gate 1 and Gate 2. Take Gate 1, located along U.S. Route 60 (Shore Drive) some 10 miles east of Norfolk and 3 miles north of Virginia Beach. Shore Drive is slow going. If there is a quick route to Cape Henry, we missed it.
CONCESSIONS/BOOKSTORE (1/5)
No NPS facilities so the score is a 1. The Cape Henry Lighthouse bookstore vends some snazzy lighthouse-related merchandise and is home to the NPS Passport stamp so you will want to go in. Be sure to ask for the stamp, the store’s staff keeps it behind the counter. Also, ask for the cool lighthouse stamps for both Cape Henry (New and Old) Lighthouses.
COSTS (3/5)
No charge to see the ¼-acre lawn’s three attractions: a granite cross, an Admiral Comte de Grasse statue and a granite memorial to the Admiral’s 1781 battle.
If you have taken the time to travel to Cape Henry and go through the military security check, you might want to do something more than look at granite plaques and an old Frenchman. For $3 you can climb up the octagonal Old Cape Henry Lighthouse.
RANGER/GUIDE TO TOURIST RATIO (1/5)
No NPS facilities at Cape Henry.
TOURS/CLASSES (2/10)
A few wayside exhibit panels approximate where the British and French warships met in 1781. That is about it.
FUN (2/10)The adventure of finding the Cape Henry MEM was mildly fun and led to some choice navigation-related intra-car arguments. We love them.
WOULD WE RECOMMEND? (2/10)
A Cape Henry MEM visit is recommended only for the most rabid NPS Passport stamp and Lighthouse stamp collectors. The Park website indicates that the Cape Henry MEM stamp can be had at the Yorktown Battlefield. If you choose to stamp your passport at Yorktown, you are a cheater and do not deserve to claim you have traveled to Cape Henry.
TOTAL 27/80
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