Check the USGS map that you cited nearby to the Cheseapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel entrance road.  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. 

The area on the USGS map which is marked Pleasure House Point and Pleasure House Creek is west of the road by about 1-2 miles and is located nearly at the entrance from the Lynnhaven River to the Chesapeake Bay. Today, the general area is a parking lot with a boat launch attached. Much of it is landfill (with houses/condos built on it) from dredging.

Check the USGS map futher into the Western Branch of the Lynnhaven River (you'll pass Thoroughgood Cove and Witch Duck Point) until you find where the Thurston Branch and Buchanan Creek meet. That's where Thalia is located. Thalia Acres, adjacent to the south side of the Thurston Branch is where the 1920's brothel was alledgedly located. Steinhilber's Restaurant is still operating in Thalia Acres, a few yards from the Thurston Branch of the River.

Pleasure House (both the road and and the old point/creek) and Thalia are not nearby to each other.  

As an aside, I don't have a Library and am not affiliated with one.

Regards,
Bonnie
Bonnie Capito
Librarian, Records & Information Specialist
LANT HQ, Code EV32
1510 Gilbert Street
Norfolk, VA 23511-2699
757-322-4785


-----Original Message-----
From: macbd1 [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2003 2:30 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Pleasure House on Lynhaven Bay, 1814


Have been following the discussion and was still intrigued by the topic so I
investigated via maps and Google today.  Bonnie Capito's input is
interesting and enjoyable and I don't intend to downplay her library.
However, I find the Virginia Beach Library has some info pertinent to the
discussion.  Check the following link to find reference to the Nimmo family
being one of the oldest in Princess Ann County:  (There is also a Nimmo
Parkway and a community of that name in Virginia Beach, I believe.)
http://www.virginia-beach.va.us/dept/library/lhgn/book4pg1.html
Note the left margin for other interesting links.

The following link to a USGS map shows a 'Pleasure House Point' and nearby
'Pleasure House Creek' which I should think narrows the location of the
subject place although I don't find any nearby 'Pleasure House Road' on the
Tiger Map web site.  Anyway, I doubt that a landmark and creek would have
been named after a brothel but rather a name used by a prominent man of an
early time in the community.  Owners named their land on most survey maps I
have seen of the 1700's-early 1800's (maybe later as well?) often using
rather unique names, some humorous.  Possibly Mr. Nimmo indeed built a
gentleman's clubhouse of sorts on his original land but I rather believe it
was simply the name selected for his plantation.  What may or may not have
happened at this or a nearby location after the War of 1812 era of John
Weiss's original question may be of interest but not pertinent.
http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=18&n=4084350&e=402458&s=25&size=l

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