From: "Tom Apple" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, July 03, 2003 10:40 PM
Subject: Re: Pleasure House on Lynhaven Bay, 1814
Tom Apple said:
(snip)
>....for clarity I've put up two versions of a portion from an 1826
> map of the area.
(snip)
> The current shorelines and situations of the bodies of water are
> essentially the same as shown in the 1826 map.
(snip)
> The Benedict Arnold Map (pa-county1) shows a western finger of Lynnhaven
> Bay connected to an eastern finger of Little Creek giving the impression
> that there is a long island there. That is incorrect and doesn't match
> other period maps. The correct position should show Pleasure House on
> what is being depicted as an island. The 1826 map clarifies the location
> of the house with a dot at the end of the road to Pleasure House Point.


Tom, thanks for your valued input and with familiarity of the subject area.
However, from my intrigue with this topic (why, I don't understand) and with
interest in the accuracy of history, please consider the following as to the
likely location of 'original' Pleasure House.

I agree the 'original' Pleasure House should be shown as being located on
'the island' of the Benedict Arnold map of 1781.  However, it 'is' shown as
being located about midway between Lynnhaven inlet and Little Creek inlet,
the same for 'Aiguade' house of the 1775 French map.  Also, from your
Florence Turner "Gateway" book:  (excerpt from the Wm George letter)
"...Pleasure House August 22nd 1813 which is about 12 miles below the City
of Norfolk..." (meaning down the coast about 12 miles?)  Let us also recall
Bonnie Capito's 7/2/03 posting: "Pleasure House Road begins at Robbin's
Corner, crosses Shore Drive and parallels the entrance road (US 13) until it
ends nearly at Chesapeake Beach."  As I understand, this is the clearly
identified red/white dash-marked road on the topozone map (see following
link) that runs from immediatedly south of Robbins Corner toward the
northeast and then abruptly turns 'north by northeast,' finally running
'very' close to Rt. 13 near the Chesapeake bridge and ending near Chesapeake
Beach, only 1/4 mile or so east of Chub Lake.  Note that the termination of
this road would be very close to the Pleasure House location shown on the
maps of 1775 and 1781.  The road that runs slightly west of due north from
Robbins Corner on the topozone map would seem to match the road on the 1781
map that terminated at the house of 'Col. Pane/Dane/James?' (The name of
this property is not legible on my map copy.)  In other words, the
road-junction immediately north of the letter 'N' of the word 'County' on
the 1781 map seems to match the location of present Robbins Corner.
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=18&n=4084528&e=398956&s=25&size=l

The 'island' of the 1781 Arnold map I believe was intended to depict the
'string' of inland backwaters that yet today run parallel to the beach.
From Lynnhaven Bay toward the west would be Pleasure House Creek and its
extension (with no dam) to present Lake Joyce where another small lake
separates it from nearby Chub Lake-Lake Bradford, and a continuation of
smaller lakes then are situated toward nearby Desert Cove of Little Creek
inlet.  At high tide and during times of heavy rains this string of waters
may have been or said to be continuous to a cartographer in 1781 --
especially without today's dams, fills and breaks of the creeks and coves.
Could 'Pleasure House Creek' have even been an inland waterway between the
Lynnhaven River-Bay area and the original Pleasure House during the late
18th and early 19th century I must seriously ponder if not theorize.

I'm also wondering whether 'original' Pleasure House was rebuilt at the same
location after it was burned in 1813, or whether a second (and third?)
Pleasure House was built elsewhere along the coast.  As to the 1826 map, its
road to a dot at "Pleasure Ho. P." and its depiction of waterways that are
too far inland does not seem to portray great accuracy to me, especially
with its much smaller scale and lesser detail compared to the 1780 map.  Did
a 'Pleasure House Point' name ever commonly exist at Little Creek Inlet
prior to 1826, or after, I wonder, or was this simply a name of that time?
The present-day 'Pleasure House Point' name (near 'Pleasure House Creek' on
the topozone map) now seems to be more pertinent than a 'Point' name at
Little Creek inlet that has apparently been forgotten...at least in my
thinking.

Tom, please be aware that this matter has no great impact on the true
meaning of life.  It's simply the two-cents worth of input by a retired
engineer having excessive time on a hot day.  But gosh, the challenge of
finding the solution to a puzzle, especially one concerning history or
genealogy is enjoyable.

Regards,
Neil McDonald
PS - I almost deleted this as unworthy; I'm sure several wish I had.
PSS - I cut-off the "files3/pa-county3.jpg" string in my browser window to
obtain your personal web site -- good show!

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