About Cape Henry Memorial
Cape Henry Memorial occupies a small but historically important site at the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia Beach. It marks the approximate place where the English colonists bound for Jamestown first landed in April 1607, raised a wooden cross, and gave thanks after their Atlantic crossing before continuing into the Chesapeake and up the James River. A granite cross erected in 1935 commemorates that landing.
The site also interprets the Battle of the Capes, the major naval engagement fought off the Virginia coast in September 1781. A French fleet commanded by Admiral François Joseph Paul de Grasse prevented a British fleet from reaching the Chesapeake, helping isolate General Charles Cornwallis's army at Yorktown and contributing directly to the successful Franco-American siege. Visitors can see a statue of Admiral de Grasse, a granite memorial to the naval battle, interpretive waysides, and a walkway to a dune overlook facing the Atlantic Ocean and the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.
Cape Henry Memorial is administered by the National Park Service but lies within Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, so visiting requires compliance with current military-base security procedures. The nearby Old Cape Henry Lighthouse is a separate historic attraction operated by Preservation Virginia and has its own ticketing and access requirements.
