Nomination Form" (June 13, 1973); Rokrt De Gast, the Lighthouses of the Chesapeake (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993), P
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\ :.~L[ 1,:~:: 103 NPS Form L091C US3I/NE5 NRHP ReglstrarlcE Form (Rev 5-86) OME N:. 1324-2G18 CAPE CHARLES LIGHT STATION Page 1 1!91ted scares 3er,3rtv~n: sf the inzerior, xatianal iark ser..,ise ~atl-ira! Reolsrir if IISL::~C places hezlsrr3-::: :.x7 ........................................... 1. Name of Property ........................................... 7' historic name: Cape Charles Light Station PM;F~LE 65-+I other nameslsite number: ........................................... - 2. Location ........................................... street & number: N/A not for publication: NIA city or town: Kiptopoke vicinity 3 state: Virginia code: VA county: Northampton code: 131 zip code: N/A ........................................... 3. StateFederal Agency Certification ........................................... As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1986, as amended, I hereby certify that this nomination and request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property meets the National Register Criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant nationally. (-See continuation sheet for additional comments.) 2 Z? q+dZ I Signature of certifying official Date Department of Transportation, U.S. Coast Guard State or Federal agency and bureau In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register criteria. (-- [email protected]. sheet for additional comments.) -. Signature of commenting or other official e~ State or Federal agency and bureau NPS Farm 10-900 VSDI/NPS NRHP Rrg1scrat;un For- re',. 3~06' 058 No, iO24-CC:8 CAPE CHARLES LIGHT STATION Page 2 2niteu States De~artmentof the Interior, National Park 5erv;ze t~atllna; ~eoistersf !!:stor:- ?laces ~eqlstratlon~orm 4. National Park Service Certification I, hereby certify that this property is: -entered in the National Register -See continuation sheet. determined eligible for the National Register -See continuation sheet. determinednot eligible for the National Register -removed from the National Register -other (explain): Signature of Keeper Date of Action 5. Classification Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply) X private -public-local -public-State X public-Federal Category of Property (Check only one box) -building(s) - district -site Xstructure -object Number of Resources within Property. Contributing Noncontributing 2 buildings - sites 1 3 structures - objects 3 3 Total Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register-0 Name of related multiple property listing: Light Stations of the United States NPS Farr 10-900 USDIINPS NRHP RegiiCration Form (Rev. 8-86! OMB No. 1024-0313 CAPE CHARLES LIGHT STATION Page 3 :.meed states De~arrnentof the interlor, National park service ~atlonal~ealster ~is;or:c places Reqlsrraclor. ~orm 6. Function or Use Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions) Cat: transportation Sub: water-related Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions) Cat: transportation Sub: water-related 7. Description Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions): No Style Materials--Tower (Enter categories from instructions): foundation: Concrete: concrete piers roof: Metal walls: other: Metal: cast-iron skeleton with central cylinder Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current condition of the property.) The Cape Charles Light Station was established in 1828 on the south shore of Smith Island at the northern entrance to Chesapeake Bay. The only access to the island is by boat. The current octagonal pyramidal exoskeleton cast-iron tower was built in 1894 and continues as an active aid to navigation. The station was automated in 1963. The first and second assistant keepers' homes were removed sometime in the late 1950'slearly 19601s,and the 1895 frame Victorian 2 112-story keepers quarters, along with the wood privy and wood storage shed, were destroyed by a fire of undetermined cause in July 2000. However, other utility buildings, including a brick oil house and brick generator building, are still present, though no longer owned by the U.S. Coast Guard. The original first-order lens has been removed. Site Description The Cape Charles Light Station is positioned on Smith Island on the southern tip of the Delmarva peninsula where it marks the east side of the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay. The lighthouse and associated structures are located approximately in the center of the island; 400 yards to the east is the ~tl&icOcean and approximately 300 yards to west is Magothy Bay. Between the lighthouse and the ocean, are the remains of three World War I1 submarine observation towers. The site is defined by a series of concrete posts that once supported a board fence that encompassed the light station. Approximately 30 yards to the east of the lighthouse, are the brick workshop and brick oil house. NPS Form 10-900 OSDIINPS NRHP Registration Fora (Rev. 8-86, OMB No. 1024-0019 CAPE CHARLES LIGHT STATION Page 4 "xed States Department nE the Interlor, National Park Service xationel p.eq;srer o: ~lrtoricplaces Req~srration ~orm Existing Structures' Tower (1894)(contributing) The tower foundation consists of a central pier and eight perimeter concrete piers, each 10 feet thick. The cast-iron skeleton consists of seven series of columns, sockets, struts, and tension rods, tied together in the form of an octagonal pyramid. The columns in the first or ground series are 13 inches in diameter; each series decreases in diameter by an inch so that the top or seventh series is only 7 inches in diameter. The struts similarly decrease in dimension from 8 inches in diameter to 5 inches, and the tension rods from 3 inches in diameter to I inch. A central, round, cast-iron plate, 9-foot-diameter cylinder houses the spiral staircase that provides access to the lantern. An elevator for hauling supplies up and down the tower is located in the center of the cylinder with a counterbalance hung outside from a pulley and chain attached to the top of the third series struts. This counterbalance and pulley mechanism has been removed. The central stair cylinder and skeletal tower are surmounted by the service room, the watch room with the main gallery, and the lantern and the lantern gallery. The lantern is topped with a conical roof with a ventilator globe and lightning aerial terminal. The first-order lantern has 16 sides made of iron with a cast-iron roof, iron ventilator ball, and copper lightning conductor spindle. The original first-order classic Fresnel lens was taken out and given to the Mariners' Museum, Newport News, Virginia, when the light was automated in 1963. It is a rotating bull's-eye lens with four consecutive bull's-eye panels presenting four flashes, followed by a one-barrel lens panel and then five consecutive bull's-eyes panels presenting five flashes, followed by seven barrel-type panels. There are a total of 17 panels each with a 17" of arc. The central panels have 19 elements, except for the dark sector panels that have only 17 elements; there are 18 prisms in each panel above the central panels, and 7 prisms in the panels below each central panel. The lens is stamped "F. BARBIER & CIE. Paris, France 1893." On another panel is marked "BF" over a line with "99" under it. The lens used to float on 300 pounds of mercury. The lens is in very good shape except for some chips in the upper prism panels, reputed to be damage caused when a flock of geese crashed through the lantern panes during a storm. This lens was replaced in 1963 by a DCB-24 (24-inch double drum rotating optic) made by Carlisle & Finch, number 49268. This unit is no longer in operation, replaced by a rotating, 190rnm, six-panel acrylic lens. - I This narrative is derived 6om a condition assessment report and significance evaluation on Cape Charles Light Station prepared by Ralph Eshelman, U.S. Lighthouse Society, and architects at the National Park Service's Historic Preservation Training Center in 199511996, This report is on file at the National Maritime Initiative ofice, National Register, History, and Education Programs, National Park Service, Washington, D.C. Also, the description and associated photographs were reviewed in October 2002 by a US Coast Guard Aid to Navigation team responsible for the property. A document verifying that the description and associated photographs reflect the current condition of the property is on file with the Ofice of Civil Engineering, US Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington, D.C. b;P5 isrm 10.900 USDIINPS NRHP RegisCrat;on Form !iev. 8.86, OMB no. 1024-OO?? CAPE CHARLES LIGHT STATION Page 5 lnltfd states DeDartmen: ~f the Interior, Narional rarr service Natlonal Reqlsrer 31 Hisrorlc Places ReqlstraClan Form Brick oil house (1895) (contributing) The brick oil house, a windowless structure, is located just west of the brick workshop and between the now-demolished dwellings of the first and second assistant keepers at the easterly end of the station enclosure. The exterior is in good condition. It features a brick foundation with walls thicker at base; brick walls, painted white at one time; a gabled slate roof with wood cornice, evidence of gutters (hangers, ghost line); a ventilation system built into wall structure; and granite blocks with original door hardware (pintle hinges) intact. The interior is also in good condition. It features a brick heningbone pattern floor and brick walls painted white. The wooden ceiling is a tongue and groove and is stained with evidence of water leaks. Other features include a central ventilating shaft in roof, a modern steel door in the historic opening, and a granite sill with step to the concrete landing. In early 1995, it was used as sleeping quarters by a hunt club that owned the property. Brick workshop (circa 1895) (contributing) Just east of the oil house, this structure is called a workshop on an 1893 site plan; it may also have been used as a generator building.