Cape Charles Beacon

Demolished Light Recreated

by Garland Pollard

As seen in Virginia Living Magazine - April 2005

Until demolition in 1962,the old Plantation Flats lighthouse was the official greeter of Cape Charles and the Eastern Shore . But like the ferries, the lighthouse literally went into the scrap books. That is until developer Dickie Foster decided to build an exact reproduction for his Eastern Shore development called Bay Creek. "It's kind of like an icon for the Eastern Shore ," says Tom Stevenson, who supervised the project . Stevenson's title is Director of Golf, but he's called "Director of History" by Foster.

The project started innocently enough, while Stevenson and Foster were walking the planned golf course at Bay Creek. The two were going around figuring out names for the holes using local historic references and looked in the direction of the original screwpile lighthouse

"We thought we would rebuild that old lighthouse," says Stevenson. It took a lot more money and time then they thought, but they did a scholarly recreation, down to the rope latter. After hundreds of telephone calls, interviews and research with everyone from locals to the National Archives to the United States Lighthouse Society, Stevenson found all the details, including the exact plans. Items like the lens and cisterns were recreated, in many cases by the same firms that worked on the original. The only thing not original is the location, which is in a pond on the course, and a few concessions to fire codes, like internal gypsum walls and HVAC. Stevenson is even seeking out a company that makes replicas of the lighthouse uniforms.

At presstime , the lake around the house had not been filled and the county had not given it's final inspection; in addition, a road to the house had not been finished. Stevenson hopes it will open certainly by fall; they currently are discussing exactly when.

The total price tag? Around $750,000, says Stevenson when pushed. "I spent all of Dickie Foster's money," he jokes.