In Mathews County between Mobjack Bay and the Chesapeake
Bay stands New Point Comfort Lighthouse, a 200-year-old fixture that for many years served to guide the way home for watermen and mariners. This historic icon is the third oldest lighthouse in the Chesapeake Bay and the 10th oldest in the country.
In the early years of our nation’s history, the ability to ship goods on the Chesapeake Bay was essential for economic development and stability. Functioning lighthouses played in integral role in guiding ships and making sure they reached their destinations. Construction of the lighthouse was authorized by the second Congress while Thomas Jefferson was in office. The lighthouse was built by Elzy Burroughs, who also served as its first keeper. It was lit for the first time on January 17, 1805.
Throughout history, New Point Comfort Lighthouse has faced adversity in different forms. During the War of 1812 it was occupied for several weeks before it was left in shambles and the keeper’s house was burned down. The house was rebuilt and the lighthouse was repaired in 1855.
In 1919 the lighthouse was updated with an automated system that did not require a full-time keeper and in 1960 the light was switched to electric power.
The Coast Guard decommissioned the lighthouse in 1963 and it now serves as a day marker and a beloved symbol of the past. The original 200+ acre island has fallen victim to time and nature and the lighthouse now sits on a mere 1/4th of an acre.
A historical marker has been placed in honor of the New Point Comfort Lighthouse and is located at the intersection of Lighthouse Road and Old Bayside Drive, on the right when traveling east on Lighthouse Road.
It reads:
Standing at the end of what was once the southernmost peninsula in Mathews County, now surrounded by water, the lighthouse marks the entrance to Mobjack Bay. Authorized by Congress in 1801, this 55-foot-high sandstone tower with its spiraling stone steps to the lighthouse cage, was built in 1805 by Elzy Burroughs, the first keeper. Except for a brief time during the Civil War, the light operated from 1806 until 1963. It is the third-oldest lighthouse still standing on Chesapeake Bay. A keeper’s dwelling once stood next to the lighthouse on a five-acre tract.
The New Point Comfort Lighthouse Preservation Task Force is working with the Army Corps of Engineers, the Commonwealth of Virginia, Mathews County, implement a plan to preserve and protect the lighthouse and the island that surrounds it for future generations.
Information courtesy of the Mathews County Historical Society.
