Still Defending Virginia’s Shores Gloucester Point Today - Gloucester Point VA
Posted by: 
Don.Morfe
N 37° 14.964 W 076° 30.128
18S E 366779 N 4123596
When Robert Tyndall sailed past Gloucester Point in 1608, the York River and the Chesapeake Bay were unspoiled worlds. His fellow explorer, John Smith, boasted that Virginia was a “fruitful and delightsome land.”
Waymark Code: WM13BE5
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 11/01/2020
Views: 0
Still Defending Virginia’s Shores-Gloucester Point Today-- “Seeking knowledge and solutions through coastal marine science.” Mission of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science
When Robert Tyndall sailed past Gloucester Point in 1608, the York River and the Chesapeake Bay were unspoiled worlds. His fellow explorer, John Smith, boasted that Virginia was a “fruitful and delightsome land.” Four centuries later, both men would find a much changed tidewater region.
Large populations and pollution are the new enemies of these natural resources. Gloucester Point continues to be a first line of defense. The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) has chosen the Point as a center for its research and education programs. Here, VIMS defends these shores against ignorance and neglect.
Gloucester County has joined the Commonwealth of Virginia and the National Park Service to preserve the history locked in these earthworks. You have just walked down a road trace cut into the old fort for a planned subdivision that never happened. In addition to the site being disturbed by plans for development, archaeologists found the remains of a 20th-century dump. Materials were probably discarded by residents from a nearby home. Preservation of the site was ensured in the 1970s when Tyndall’s Point Park was created to save fragile historic environment that abounds here.
Enjoy the green space on this historic spot. Explore the native Bayberry, Inkberry, Sweet Spire and Doghobble shrubs planted in the park as part of an effort to re-establish native plants. Take nothing away but the stories of our ancestors. Leave nothing behind but your footprints.
Group that erected the marker: Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network
URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link]
Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary:
1376 Vernon Street,
on the Tyndall’s Point Park Walkway
Gloucester Point, VA USA
23062
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