Tyndall's Point, aka Gloucester Point, was originally named after map maker Robert Tyndall in 1608. Mr Tyndall was exploring the lands of Virginia with Christopher Newport and John Smith. The area quickly became a hot bed for tobacco plantations and a warehouse was built on the point to serve planters shipping their crops back to England. In 1667, the first fort was built to defend against any possible invasion from the Dutch fleet.
This was an important area during both the American Revolution and the Civil War. The Earthworks, also known as readouts, are all man made defenses from those periods. Tyndall's Point park is a great example of modern warfare, but the biggest secret of this park remains buried in the woods covered with overgrowth. The best of the earthworks are rather dangerous and the parks department would prefer you stay out of that area and not know about it. The ending pictures on this slide show reveal the best areas, but they are not easily accessible and we do not recommend you try to go into them. They are dangerous as there are sudden unseen drops that are very deep. I tried to take a few pictures of them, but the overgrowth is so thick, none of them came out where you could tell what they were. Plus moving around that area was extremely rough and very hazardous.
Gloucester, VA Links and News. GVLN Website.
