Museum Store on Site Note to Our Visitors: The Cape Henry Lighthouse is located within Fort Story military base. To visit the lighthouse, you must pass through the security gates of Fort Story. Please have identification including a picture with you for all visitors aged 16 years or older. This ID should be a student or state or Federal issued ID card. The security personnel have the right to examine your car before issuing a pass to enter the military base and visit the lighthouse. While we apologize for the inconvenience, we respect the military's interest in force protection. The security guards are courteous and efficient, but please allow a few extra minutes for entry into the site. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. For your safety and comfort, please observe the following rules for climbing the Cape Henry Lighthouse: You must be at least 42" tall to climb the lighthouse. Children may not be carried up the steps. Backpacks and frontpacks are not allowed on the staircase. Buy Cape Henry Prints and Reproductions Online

In 1841 improvements were made to the lantern. A soapstone deck on top of a brick arch replaced the earlier wooden deck. The lantern was glazed with plate glass similar to the Cape Henlopen Lighthouse in Delaware. Each side of the octagon contained twelve 24 by 16 inch panes. Eighteen brass burners fitted with oil heaters and eighteen twenty-inch reflectors on three tiers of circles illuminated the lantern to guide seamen.

In 1867, a cast iron staircase replaced the original wooden access and provided fireproofing. An interior liner added additional stability in the structure--literally building a tower within a tower.