Spanning over 113,000 acres across southern Virginia and northern North Carolina, the Great Dismal Swamp was generally believed to be uninhabitable by white settlers, hence its name ascribed by William Byrd II in 1728. This included the likes of George Washington, who, at one point, believed that he and the Dismal Swamp Company could drain the wetland for future settlement. However, this land had been occupied for thousands of years.
Home to Algonquian-speaking peoples until the early 18th century, the Great Dismal Swamp had been home to several tribes that healthily lived off the area. By the 1700s, the native peoples welcomed other inhabitants fleeing persecution, opening opportunities for fugitive slaves to establish maroon communities throughout the swamps. Thousands of maroons, self-emancipated Africans, established autonomous settlements in the area that were occupied until the late 19th century. In the remote woods, these maroons found fully operational communities with farms, homesteads, and welcoming arms that allowed them to live in peace despite the tensions of slavery that still plagued the country.
The Great Dismal Swamp was formally conserved by the federal government in the 1970s, having received a large donation of land from the Union Camp Corporation. With Lake Drummond, named after North Carolina's first governor William Drummond, at its center with over 100,000 acres surrounding it, the refuge acts as a home for indigenous wildlife. Although camping is not allowed within the refuge's bounds, one can still hike its 40+ miles of trails, fish, sightsee, and kayak down the Great Dismal Swamp canal, which is the oldest operating canal in North America.
What's Nearby
Explore more of The Liberty Trail by visiting these nearby attractions.
