Virginia Beach

Forty spooky stories that reveal the otherworldly history of this coastal city . . . Includes photos! Researched and written by a local history expert, this book delves into the creepy, unexplored avenues of Virginia Beach’s past. You’ll learn about the paranormal sightings at the Mayflower Apartments, where elevators behave bizarrely; the spectral details of Blackbeard’s buried treasure; a deadly stretch of road inexplicably responsible for eighty-nine fatalities over thirty years; and the untimely death of a military wife. From a wailing woman in the old Coast Guard Station to supernatural activity provoked by the association of two friends, Haunted Virginia Beach offers up spine-tingling apparitional tales that will shock and delight visitors and locals alike.

The waters of coastal Virginia swirl with tales both tragic and heroic. Join Virginia Beach native Alpheus Chewning as he recounts harrowing stories of storms at sea, loss of life and fortune and the heroism of the United States Life-Saving Service. Marvel at the blunders and bungles that have plagued the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and learn about the U-boats that lurked off the coast during World War II. Extensively researched and filled with fascinating details, Virginia Beach Shipwrecks is a treasure for sea lovers of all ages.

First visited by English settlers in 1607, Virginia Beach has been a popular tourist destination ever since. The sea, sand, and sun are the most popular attractions, but throughout history the city has also been known for its unique architecture. The first geodesic dome built in the United States, designed by Buckminster Fuller, was the city's convention center for many years. The Cavalier Hotel, when built in 1927, was the state's largest brick structure. The new Cape Henry lighthouse, completed in 1881, remains the tallest cast iron lighthouse in the country. The lighthouse it replaced, a structure that still stands today, was erected in 1791 and was the first federally funded structure built in the United States.