Lake Joyce, Virginia Beach

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Lake Joyce is an 85 acre fresh water lake adjacent to the Chesapeake Bay and the Lynnhaven River. All watersports are enjoyed on this lake, from a quiet paddle to Leaping Lizard Cafe for lunch, to water skiing in the designated lanes, to kayaking around Blackbeards Island. There is no public access to Lake Joyce. The neighborhoods with private access are Chic's Beach, Baylake Pines/Baylake Beach, and Bayville at Lake Joyce. Find your lakefront home in these neighborhoods here and put Windy Crutchfield's Sea of Real Estate Service to use!

History of Lake Joyce:

Lake Joyce used to be an inlet connecting Pleasure House Creek with the Chesapeake Bay (see today's brackish pond between Baylake and Indian Hill Rds). This is where Blackbeard raises his nasty head in the early 1700s. Edward Teach and his crew supposedly cut a 500' long and 25' wide channel in the land, pushing the dirt up into what is known today as Treasure Island, a hilly island inside Lake Joyce. Blackbeard built a fort on this island which allowed the pirates to have a Lookout for merchant ships passing by and it was known as "Pirates Fort."  From a lookout on a much higher hill at Cape Henry "Blackbeards Hill, pirates would signal to Pirates Fort when an unsuspecting supply ship was moving into the area. Their Queen Anne's Revenge hid stealthily behind the island until the right moment to seize the merchant ships and return with their Bounty! Their loot of Sea Chests full of valuables might have been left behind when Blackbeards crew fled to the Outer Banks and their reign of terror came to an end in Ocracoke.

In the mid 1800's the Joyce family lived in the area, supposedly, according to gravestones that are located in Baylake Pines. Below are photos of those gravestones which refer to John M. Joyce (1836-1878) with a crown emblem, Jacamine H. Joyce (1804-1863), and Monhancoc (1801-1853?). At Kemps Baptist Church, the gravestone of Edward Joyce, born in 1874 and died at age 24 is located. There was some reference to a Edmund D Joyce son of John M Joyce and Mary who was deaf and mute. Other Joyce families in Henry County NC in the 1860s came up in my ongoing search for information about this family. The mystery continues...

Present day, Lake Joyce represents a lifestyle of fun for residents on the lakefront and owners in Baylake Pines and Chic's Beach. Lakefront homes are in high demand. Get on the Wait List by contacting your resident Realtor Windy Crutchfield!

In April 2019, a history of the name was published in the Shore Drive Living publication! Please ask me for a copy.As a resident in the community, I can provide you with A Sea of Real Estate Service when it's time to make this your life!

Windy Crutchfield (757) 646-8056 or [email protected].