I’ve said it before and I still stand by it, there’s no better way to start the day than standing on a beach with a cup of coffee, watching the sunrise. Nestor still hadn’t fully cleared out by morning, and the clouds were still too thick to hope for much. So, in the end, I hung out and watched the horizon from the warmth and comfort of the room. The only colors were the red and green flashing lights of the buoys off shore, and the sky changing from a leaden to a lighter gray.
The first stop of the day wouldn't be open for a while, so I did take some time for a walk along the beach and the boardwalk. That's where I saw this fisherman. He had set up his poles and gone back to sleep on the bench.
Cape Henry, named after King James’ oldest son, sits at the northern end of Virginia Beach. That’s where you’ll find First Landing State Park. This is where Captain Christopher Newport first anchored in the new world, bringing three ships worth of settlers for the first permanent settlement. As you might have guessed, this is the site of their first landfall. They settled further up the James River in what we now know as Jamestown. There’s a memorial at the approximate point.
The memorial sits within Fort Story, named after General John Story, an artillery specialist. Construction began in the waning days of the War of 1812 to protect both the coast and the Chesapeake Bay. It’s now primarily a training and logistics base for the Navy.
That’s also where you’ll find the two Cape Henry Lighthouses. The original was authorized by President Washington and completed in 1792. Construction began in 1881 on a second lighthouse due to concerns over the original’s stability. To access the towers, you need to access the Navy base.
Once you arrive at the security gate, they guard takes your license and informs you that it’s illegal to bring drugs, alcohol, guns or any weapons onto the base. You’re also not allowed to drive on the base. There’s a shuttle instead.
From the parking area, you get your security screening. After being wanded with a metal detector, they give you a temporary pass and go over the rules. It’s an active military base. You’re not allowed to photograph or interact with any military personnel. Access is strictly limited. The back of the pass is quite clear where the boundaries are.
The original Cape Henry Lighthouse...
Across the road from the lighthouses are two more historical markers. The first marks where the Jamestown settlers first made landfall on April 26, 1607 in the new world. They build a wooden cross on this site in thanks for the safe journey.
The second memorial celebrates Admiral Francois Joseph Paul de Grasse. On September 5, 1781, in the waters off Cape Henry, his fleet of French warships successfully blocked British reinforcements en route to General Cornwallis at Yorktown.
Across Hwy 60 from the Navy base you’ll find First Landing State Park. There are quite a few trails throughout the park. The original plan was a double loop of six and a half miles. Running a little behind schedule, I chose a different set of trails that would be a little over five miles.
If you continue northwest on Hwy 60, it will eventually connect with I-64 and the bridge/tunnel under Hampton Roads. The first exit on the northern end brings you to Fort Monroe, named after President James Monroe. Like Fort Story, it was also built in the waning days of the War of 1812. It’s built on a peninsula the Jamestown settlers named Point Comfort, a darkly ironic name considering it’s future.
In August, 1619, the English privateer ship White Lion attacked a Spanish slave ship in the Bay of Campeche, off the east coast of Mexico. They captured “twenty and odd” Angolan prisoners.
Low on supplies for the trip back to England, they stopped at Point Comfort and sold their cargo. These men would be the first Africans sold into slavery in America.
During the Civil War, Fort Monroe was continuously held by the north. The fort's commanding officer ,Brigadier General Benjamin Butler, declared any escaping slaves to be "contraband of war" and thus no longer the property of the south. Escaping slaves referred to it as Freedom Fort.
A few blocks from the fort's walls sits a craft brewery with a curious name. As the legend goes, in 1906, Captain H.M. Merrriam swore he saw an odd looking bird outside officer's quarters. The story was told and retold. The bird was nicknamed Oozlefinch.
In truth, I had planned on one beer, then I'd be off. I hadn't planned on meeting Robert and Susan Pine. They've been married forty-three years and both are retired. They met after Robert had returned from a tour with the Navy in Viet Nam. Swearing that he was finished with the military, he let his hair grow out and enrolled in business classed at his local college. To make up the time from being overseas, he took extra courses and managed to finish in two and a half years.
He met Susan during this time and asked her out to dinner. She told him she didn't date guys with long hair. So, he told her he could only afford either a hair cut or dinner, but not both. Susan offered to pay for the haircut. The day came and off they went to the barbershop. The barber asked Robert, "how short?" Robert turned to Susan and asked, "how short?" They've been together ever since.
After completing college, Robert was recruited back into the Navy, this time as an officer. Susan spend her career teaching. I said my good-byes to the Pines and headed off to the Mulberry Inn in Newport News.
From Fort Monroe, it was a fairly easy drive to Newport News. Curious about the name, I did a little digging and came upon an article in The Virginia Pilot. Newport comes from Captain Christopher Newport, of the Susan Constant. He was the commander of the fleet that brought the original settlers to what would be called Jamestown.
In 1610, three years after the establishment of the Jamestown colony, Sir Thomas Gates, Governor of the colony, decided to expand. A few miles south, he took over an indian village and named it Newport. Within a couple of years, Newport News started appearing in official documents. There are numerous theories where “News” came from, but no definitive answer.
Coming Up,
The World changes due to a little iron
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