Cape Henry Landing: Dedicating a New Land to God (1607)
On April 29, 1607, three small ships — the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery — anchored off the coast of present-day Virginia Beach. A weary band of English settlers stepped ashore under the charter of the Virginia Company of London. Before building homes, farming the land, or exploring inland to what would become Jamestown, they did something extraordinary: they raised a cross, gathered in worship, and dedicated the land to Almighty God.
The prayer, attributed to Rev. Robert Hunt, stands as one of the first spiritual covenants on American soil. It marked the beginning of a long story — a nation that would wrestle with its identity but could never escape the imprint of prayer.
The Prayer
“We do hereby dedicate this Land, and ourselves, to reach the People within these shores with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to raise up Godly generations after us, and with these generations take the Kingdom of God to all the earth. May this Covenant of Dedication remain to all generations, as long as this earth remains and may this land, along with England, be evangelists to the world. May all who see this cross remember what we have done here, and may those who come here to inhabit join us in this Covenant and this most noble work, that the Holy Scriptures may be fulfilled. From these very shores the gospel shall go forth, not only to this new world, but the entire world.”
– Attributed to Rev. Robert Hunt
Historic Backstory
The settlers were commissioned not only to build a colony but to “propagate the Christian religion to such people, as yet live in darkness.” This mandate was woven into the charter of the Virginia Company itself.
The Cape Henry landing was not simply a political or economic endeavor; it was also spiritual at its core. The colonists carried deep convictions about their mission. By erecting a wooden cross and praying, they were planting more than a settlement — they were planting a declaration that this new world belonged to God.
Though historians note that no contemporaneous document survives of Rev. Hunt’s exact words, the prayer attributed to him has been recited and remembered across centuries. Today, it stands as a symbolic altar — the first of many moments when prayer shaped America’s destiny.
Biblical Parallel — Stones of Remembrance
In the Old Testament, Joshua commanded Israel to build a memorial of twelve stones after crossing the Jordan River so that future generations would never forget God’s faithfulness (Joshua 4:6–7).
The Cape Henry cross functions in much the same way — a physical and spiritual marker declaring: “God was here, and we will not forget.” Throughout Scripture, when God moved powerfully, His people responded by building an altar, offering thanks, and making a covenant.
Cape Henry fits into that pattern. The settlers weren’t just looking for survival; they wanted their presence in this new land to be a testimony to God’s glory.
Modern Application — Building Altars in Our ZIP Codes
Cape Henry reminds us that prayer is not passive. It dedicates places, people, and futures. Imagine if every ZIP Code in America had its own altar of prayer — families and neighbors coming together to say, “This land belongs to the Lord.”
That’s the heart of the National Prayer Wall: to connect believers, prayer by prayer, ZIP by ZIP, across the nation. Just as Rev. Hunt’s prayer laid a foundation in Virginia, our prayers today lay foundations in our neighborhoods.
Visit Cape Henry Today
If you visit Virginia Beach today, you can see a stone monument known as the Cape Henry Cross, located at First Landing State Park. It commemorates that April day in 1607 when America’s first permanent English settlers paused to pray. It stands as a physical reminder of faith woven into our nation’s beginnings.
📍 This prayer took place in Virginia Beach, Virginia (ZIP Code 23451).
Reference Prayers and Proclamations: Historic Prayers in American Life (White House PDF)