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Long before this lighthouse was built, Spanish galleons all too frequently crashed into the treacherous shoals near the Maryland-Virginia border. Among the survivors of the resulting shipwrecks were ponies. Their descendants continue to flourish on the island's Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, where the lighthouse also is located. In fact, the annual pony roundup was immortalized in Marguerite Henry's Newberry Honor Book, Misty of Chincoteague.

The first lighthouse here, built in 1833, was too short and its lamp too weak to be of much use to ships traversing the Atlantic Ocean. The original 45-foot stone tower finally was replaced in 1867 with the 142-foot brick and stone tower, boasting a first-order Fresnel lens visible from about 20 miles at sea. In 1961, the lens was replaced by an automated aero-marine beacon.

To visit the red-and-white striped lighthouse, follow U.S. Highway 13 and Virginia Highway 175 to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. Visitors are not allowed inside the tower because the lighthouse remains in service.

Text © 1999 Terry White, Drawing © 1999 Bill Harrah