At the first session of the First United States Congress in 1789 at Federal Hall in New York City, George Washington was inaugurated as the nation’s first president, the rules of the House and the Senate were established, the U.S. Treasury created, and among these monumental firsts, was the authorization of the very first lighthouse to be built by the newly-formed United States government. In late 1792, the light at Cape Henry was first lit.

On August 7, 1789, Congress approved the “Act for the Establishment and support of Lighthouse, Beacons, Buoys, and Public Piers.” In 1988, Congress designated August 7th as “National Lighthouse Day.” As it was the first federally-funded lighthouse, Cape Henry Lighthouse is often referred to as “America’s first lighthouse.”

You can learn more here: Celebrate National Lighthouse Day at America's First Lighthouse