1893 Map of Virginia Beach

About this map

Cape Henry and the outer reaches of Princess Anne Co. define this late nineteenth-century coastal landscape, dominated by a critical chain of maritime safety outposts. A string of six numbered installations, including the Seatack Life Saving Station (2), follows the Atlantic shoreline to provide refuge for mariners navigating these volatile waters. The interior landscape is a complex network of brackish lagoons and marshy islands. Back Bay and Currituck sound waters are separated from the ocean by narrow barrier strips, where small settlements like Virginia Beach and Sand Bridge are established. To the south, the Virginia North Carolina Boundary Line cuts through the marshes near Knott Id, where The Causeway provides a vital overland link across the wetlands of Mackay Id.