The Southeastern Lighthouse stamps were issued in 2003 paying tribute to the Southeastern lighthouses that have aided mariners since the early 18th century. Featured are images of five lighthouses; Old Cape Henry, Cape Lookout, Morris Island, Tybee Island and Hillsboro Inlet. Located on the grounds of Fort Story in Virginia Beach, Va., Old Cape Henry Lighthouse—the first lighthouse constructed by the U.S. government—began protecting the southern mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in 1792. Today it is owned by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities and is open to the public. Cape Lookout Lighthouse is located on Core Banks along Cape Lookout National Seashore near Beaufort, N.C., and was first activated in 1859. Automated in the 1950s, the lighthouse is owned and operated by the U.S. Coast Guard. Plans are in place to transfer ownership of the lighthouse to the National Park Service in 2003. Located on Morris Island at the entrance to the harbor of Charleston, S.C., Morris Island Lighthouse began operation in 1876 on the site of an earlier lighthouse established in 1767, but was destroyed during the Civil War. It is owned by the state of South Carolina, which has leased it to Save the Light, Inc., a nonprofit group dedicated to its protection and preservation. Tybee Island Lighthouse was built in 1773 on Tybee Island east of Savannah, Ga. This lighthouse continues to guide ships safely into Savannah Harbor. In 2002, the U.S. Coast Guard transferred ownership of the lighthouse and its grounds to the Tybee Island Historical Society. The Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse was built Detroit, Mich., then erected and inspected prior to being shipped in parts to its present location near Pompano Beach, Fla. This octagonal, iron-skeleton tower was reassembled and activated in 1907. The stamps contain Scrambled Indicia hidden images that—when viewed through the official USPS STAMP DECODER reveals the year dates in which the lighthouses were built.
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