The Lynnhaven River is a tidal estuary located in the

independent city An independent city or independent town is a city or town that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity (such as a province). Historical precursors In the Holy Roman Empire, and to a degree in its successor states ...

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous cit ...

, Virginia, in the United States, and flows into the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / E ...

west of

Cape Henry Cape Henry is a cape on the Atlantic shore of Virginia located in the northeast corner of Virginia Beach. It is the southern boundary of the entrance to the long estuary of the Chesapeake Bay. Across the mouth of the bay to the north is Cape Ch ...

at Lynnhaven Inlet, beyond which is Lynnhaven Roads. It has a small, developed watershed covering , terminating at Lynnhaven Bay. It was once famous along the East Coast of the United States for its

oysters Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but not al ...

, which declined through pollution and runoff. It is now being restored by the Lynnhaven River Now restoration project based out of the

Brock Environmental Center The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's (CBF) Brock Environmental Center is located on the banks of the Lynnhaven River in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It is designed to meet the highest environmental standards in accordance with The U.S. Green Building Cou ...

. A proposed comprehensive project for ecosystem restoration of the Lynnhaven River Basin is currently under consideration by the United States Congress.

History

Notable historic residences near the entrance include the

Adam Keeling House __NOTOC__ The Adam Keeling House is a historic house in Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States. Dendrochronology undertaken by the Oxford Tree-Ring Laboratory revealed that house was constructed of timbers felled in 1734–1735, pointing to a c ...

Adam Thoroughgood House The Thoroughgood House is a brick house located at 1636 Parish Road, in the neighborhood of Thoroughgood, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States. It was built ca. 1719. It was formerly known as the Adam Thoroughgood House. It was not built by ...

, and

Ferry Plantation House Ferry Plantation House, or Old Donation Farm, Ferry Farm, Walke Manor House, is a brick house in the neighborhood of Old Donation Farm in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The site dates back to 1642 when Savill Gaskin started the second ferry service ...

and the area was the site of the early colonial settlement of

Henry Town Henry Town, Henry Towne, or Henries Towne was an early English colonial settlement near Cape Henry, the southern point and gateway to the Chesapeake Bay in the Colony and Dominion of Virginia, now in modern Virginia Beach, Virginia, on the East Co ...

. The bay was a convenient harbor for coast-wise shipping in the colonial period.'Capt. Passenger to Governor Nicholson.' (Aug. 19, 1700). "America and West Indies: August 1700, 26-29." ''Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies'': Volume 18, 1700. Ed. Cecil Headlam. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1910. 494-505
British History Online.
Retrieved 28 May 2019.

Adam Thoroughgood Adam Thoroughgood horowgood'' (1604–1640) was a colonist and community leader in the Virginia Colony who helped settle the Virginia counties of Elizabeth City, Lower Norfolk and Princess Anne, the latter, known today as the independent city of ...

was from King's Lynn in

Norfolk, England Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North ...

. Many locations in Virginia Beach, including the Lynnhaven River, Lynn Shores, Thalia Lynn, Lynnhaven Road (parkway, drive, etc.) are named Lynn after King's Lynn. In 1807, it was the site of a British squadron of ships, from whence sailed HMS Leopard in its engagement and capture of USS Chesapeake.

References

{{authority control Bodies of water of Virginia Beach, Virginia Rivers of Virginia Tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay

History

See also

References