For more than a hundred years, Virginia Beach has been visited for it's wonderful beaches and community area around Chesapeake Bay. The settlement was founded by settlers like Adam Thoroughgood, his household is said to be the oldest non-Spanish brick house in the United States. Christians from all around and alike come to Virginia Beach just to see CBN, the Christian Broadcasting Network for a tour and sit in with the audience on "The 700 Club". The beaches have easy access by boardwalks to surfing, sailing, and scuba rentals. Explore the Virginia Marine Science Museum and the Great Dismal Swamp, holding a jungle of gnarled cypress offering 3-hour boat tours. The area was noted for being a graveyard for ships on the Atlantic coast in the 1870s and Congress authorized construction of of lifesaving stations in the area, which developed into what today is the city of Virginia Beach.