Cruising the Canal Everything you always wanted to know about the “DO THE DISMAL” GREAT DISMAL SWAMP and We highly recommend it!!! DISMAL SWAMP CANAL Cruise the oldest continually operating hand-dug waterway in the country. Enjoy beautiful scenery, free dockage, and “convenience” stops.

The Deep Creek, VA, lock is located about 11 miles from Hospital Point and Waterside Marina, off the southern branch of the Elizabeth River. There is an anchorage in a cove about 2 miles north of the lock and a FREE DOCK between the lock and the highway bridge. On the south side of the bridge, there are cleats on the east bulkhead. A nearby shopping strip offers various shopping opportunities From Deep Creek to the southern lock at South DISMAL SWAMP CANAL Mills, NC, is 22 miles, where boats can tie up to WELCOME CENTER the west bulkhead and visit “Your Information Center for a convenience store with Northeastern NC” food service. The Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center is located The Welcome Center, in Camden County on US Highway 17, approximately located 17 miles south of 18 miles north of Elizabeth City, NC, and 3 miles Deep Creek and 5 miles south of the NC/VA line. north of South Mills, offers FREE DOCKAGE, potable Camden County is adjacent to the Hampton Roads, water, picnic tables, grills, and clean restrooms VA, metropolitan area (Norfolk, Virginia Beach, open 24 hours/day. A friendly staff, Book Ex- Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Newport News, change, Boater’s Log, NC Coastal Boating Guide, vid- and Hampton), only a short distance from Williams- eos on the Dismal Swamp Canal, and a small GIFT burg, Jamestown and Yorktown. The county is con- SHOP are also available. veniently located near the beaches of North Caro- lina’s Outer Banks (Corolla, Duck, Kitty Hawk, Kill An 18-mile trip along the beautiful Pasquotank Devil Hills, Nags Head, Hatteras, and Ocracoke). River ends at Elizabeth City, “Harbor of Hospital- ity” and home of the famous Rose Buddies. The CAMDEN COUNTY, NC City offers 48 hours of FREE DOCKAGE. “An Opportunity Awaits You”

 Entered in the National Register of Historic Places BOTH LOCKS OPERATE ON THE SAME SCHEDULE: Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center  Designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark

2356 US Highway 17 North  Recognized as part of the National Underground Railroad Network 8:30am, 11:00am, 1:30pm and 3:30pm South Mills, NC 27976 to Freedom Program 252.771.8333 ~ 877.771.8333 NOTE: Locking times vary in times of drought. [email protected]  Part of North Carolina Civil War Trail NOTE: Welcome Center monitors channels 13 & 16 for navigation www.dismalswampwelcomecenter.com History of the Dismal Swamp Canal

The Dismal Swamp Canal, which connects the Eliza- in 1802, approximately 2-1/2 miles south of the North ate strongholds in Virginia. beth River in Virginia and the Pasquotank River in Carolina/Virginia border. This inn and the Lake Drum- North Carolina, is the oldest continually operating mond Hotel or Halfway House (established in 1829) be- The wartime activity left the canal in a terrible state of canal in the United States. Now a historic landmark, came an infamous rendezvous for lovers wanting to take repair. The Canal Company requested assistance from the canal has experienced numerous changes and advantage of the lenient North Carolina marriage laws the federal government but this was to no avail, and periods of prosperity and neglect. and fugitives seeking the isolation of the swamp. These the canal was sold in 1878. Although the canal had houses were notorious as sites of duels and lover’s trysts. some traffic in the 1870 -1890 period, it could not The Dismal Swamp posed a formidable obstacle to compare to its previous prosperity. The repairs and early settlers and explorers. In 1728, Colonel Wil- By 1820, the canal was recognized as an important part of maintenance needed by the canal made travel difficult, liam Byrd II of Virginia noted the hazards of traveling commercial traffic between Virginia and North Carolina. if not hazardous. in the swamp, describing it as a “vast body of dirt In 1826, the United States government acknowledged this and nastiness.” His miserable experience A new era for the canal came in 1892 when prompted him to consider a canal that the Lake Drummond Canal and Water would connect the Albemarle Sound to the Company assumed operations. This com- Elizabeth River. pany launched rehabilitation efforts in 1986 and by 1899 the first vessels were admitted George Washington and five fellow inves- into the “new” Dismal Swamp Canal. Once tors saw the rich potential of Dismal Swamp again, a steady stream of vessels carrying timber and invested in 40,000 acres of lumber, farm products, and passengers swampland. By 1764, the Virginia Assembly made the canal a bustling interstate thor- had given this company permission to build oughfare. a canal, if needed, to remove timber, but only a preliminary ditch was dug. The re- With 20th century improvements in modes turn on Washington’s investment was not of transportation, the canal gradually en- what he had hoped and by 1795 he had tered another bleak period in its history. withdrawn his interest. By the 1920s, commercial traffic had sub- sided except for passenger vessels. The By this time, plans were underway for a infrequent use and poor maintenance of the canal that would allow trade between Vir- canal resulted in its sale in 1929 to the fed- ginia and the relatively isolated region of eral government for $500,000. The canal northeastern North Carolina. In 1784, was then and is today operated and main- Governor Patrick Henry of Virginia pro- tained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engi- posed a canal, and in 1784, the Dismal neers. Swamp Canal Company was created. Dig- ging by hired slave labor began in 1793 and pro- by purchasing 600 shares of Dismal Swamp Canal Com- Though once a vital commercial link from Virginia to gressed slowly. A road running parallel to the canal pany stock, which made needed improvements possible. North Carolina, the canal is quieter now and plays was completed in 1804 and by 1805 flat-bottomed Prior to 1829, the canal was limited to flat-bottomed ves- host to pleasure boaters on the Atlantic Intracoastal vessels could be admitted into the 22-mile long ca- sels, but with improvements, enough water could be re- Waterway. Its designation as a National Historic nal. Tolls were charged for road and canal traffic to leased to accommodate deeper drafts. Landmark serves to remind canal visitors of its contri- allay the continual expense of improvements and butions to the economic and social development of maintenance. Before the advent of the steam en- The canal and nearby towns saw a period of prosperity northeastern North Carolina. It’s inclusion into the gine, the shortage of laborers to dig the canal was a from 1830 -1860. The 1860s and the onset of the Civil National Register of Historic Places, designation as a persistent problem; it was backbreaking work under War put the canal in an important strategic position for National Civil Engineering Landmark, and recognition highly unfavorable conditions. Union and Confederate forces. For Confederates caught as part of the National Underground Railroad Net- in the Union blockade of coastal North Carolina in 1862, work to Freedom Program, are honors worthy of it’s The first Dismal Swamp roadhouse was established the canal offered a convenient supply route to Confeder- colorful past. Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center

In April 1989, the NC Dept. of Transportation be- DISMAL SWAMP CANAL TRAIL PADDLING ON THE CANAL came pioneers in the travel industry with the open- ing of the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center. It Located at the south end of the site, the 4.5 mile long Access is provided for both canoes and kayaks be- is the first Visitor/Welcome Center built off an In- trail is about 10’ wide with a hard surface. It meanders side the pedestrian bridge adjacent to the southern terstate in our state and the only such facility in the along the canal for approximately three miles before parking lot. The site is located 5 miles north of the country greeting visitors by both a major highway becoming a 5’ extension of Hwy. 343 and Mullen Road, South Mills locks and 17 miles south of the Deep and historic waterway. Over 600,000 travelers visit to the South Mills bridge. It is handicapped accessible Creek locks. The 3-mile long Feeder Ditch into the Center each year by highway, while nearly 2,000 and birder friendly, offering picnic tables and benches. Lake Drummond is 7 miles north of the Center. boats transit the waterway annually.

EDUCATION ON NORTH CAROLINA The trail is a great place for hik- ing, biking, photography and Maps and publications are available for assistance in birding. It is a part of the North planning trips or vacations in the state. A knowl- Carolina Birding Trail, East edgeable staff is ready and willing to be of assistance. Coast Greenway and National Recreation Trail. EDUCATION ON REGION

Several brochures are available on the Dismal Trail Do’s DISMAL SWAMP STATE PARK Swamp environs, along with two videotapes. Staff Hiking, biking, birding, photogra- will make special presentations to groups when noti- phy, picnicking, fishing (NC fish- Adjacent to the Welcome Center to the south, the fied in advance. ing license), rollerblading, and NC Division of Parks & Recreation has developed dogs on leash, are permitted. the Dismal Swamp State Park, ac- NATURE TRAIL cessed by a pedestrian swing bridge across the Dismal Swamp Canal. A At the north end of the Trail Don’ts property, a short quar- 6,500-square-foot Visitor Center ter-mile Nature Trail is Motorized vehicles, skateboards, alcohol, swimming, serves to open the Great Dismal available for stretching camping, open fires, littering, and projectiles, are pro- Swamp to public use. The Center contains a recep- the legs and observing hibited. tion area, exhibit area, auditorium, administrative local flora and fauna. offices, and inside and outside classrooms. Board- Beginning behind the last walks and hiking trails are adjacent to this area.

picnic table, the trail me- Wildlife NOTE: State Park monitors channel 13 for navigation

anders along the Dismal Bobcats, bears, snakes, deer, birds, nutria, fox, butter- Swamp Canal, then back flies, ‘possums, raccoons, and otters, might be seen. DISMAL SWAMP GIFT SHOP through the trees to the parking lot. Where else in the country could you purchase a shirt that says “I survived the Dismal Swamp Canal”? Ten native trees are identified along the trail: Sassa- NOTE: fras, Sweet Gum, Pignut Hickory, Red Mulberry, BIKES ARE Other T-shirts are available, Black Cherry, Virginia Red Cedar, Red Maple, Syca- AVAILABLE along with a selection of hats more, Loblolly Pine, and Pin Oak. A couple of AT THE and denim shirts. Various addi- benches provide a shady respite overlooking the WELCOME tional items for sale include: waterway. CENTER FOR books on the swamp and canal, USE ON THE navigational books, jewelry, hat NOTE: A Bird List is available in the Welcome Center. TRAIL pins, magnets and sundry items. The Great Dismal Swamp

Just who discovered the Great Dismal and when is by the 1950’s acres of virgin timber had been removed. A LAND OF LORE AND LEGEND unknown. Colonel William Byrd II was a member of In 1973, Union Camp donated its Virginia swamp hold- the commission that surveyed the state line through ings to the Nature Conservancy which, in turn, deeded The oldest and best known of the Dismal Swamp leg- the Swamp in 1728 and provided the first extensive it to the Department of the Interior for creation of the ends is that of the Lady of the Lake, a myth the Irish description of it. In May 1763, George Washington Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, head- poet Thomas Moore canonized in 1803 in his poem, made his first visit to the Swamp and suggested drain- quartered near Suffolk, VA. “The Lake of the Dismal Swamp.” Based on local lore ing it and digging a north-south canal through it to about an Indian maid who died just before her wed- connect the waters of Chesapeake Bay and Albemarle THE DISMAL IS NAMED ding and who is periodically seen paddling her ghostly Sound. Joining with several other prominent Virgini- white canoe across the waters of Lake Drummond. ans and North Carolinians, he formed two syndicates As one of the first to visit the Swamp and record his Moore’s poem tells how the bereaved lover came to known as the Dismal Swamp Land Company and the experiences Colonel Byrd led a band of surveyors into believe that his lost love had departed her grave and Adventurers for Draining The Great Dismal Swamp. the Swamp in 1728 to run a dividing line between the taken to the Swamp. He followed her and never re- This group hoped disputing colonies of Virginia and North Carolina. They turned but was reunited with his Lady of the Lake in to drain the were almost devoured by yellow flies, chiggers, and death. Swamp, harvest the ticks. Byrd’s description was that it was a “Horrible  trees, and use the Desert” and he called it “Dismal.” But Oft, from the Indian hunter's camp land for farming. This Lover and Maid so true LAKE DRUMMOND Are seen in the hour of midnight damp The company pur- To cross the Lake by a fire-fly lamp, chased 40,000 Lake Drummond is an amber jewel, a lovely circular And paddle their white canoe. acres of Swamp lake covering approximately 3,000 acres in the heart of  the Swamp. William Drummond, the first Governor of land for $20,000 in  North Carolina (1663- 1763. Washington Most good legends are rooted in reality. Eerie lights in 1667), discovered the directed the surveying and digging of the 5-mile long the middle of the night are not uncommon and have oval lake which bears his ditch from the western edge of the Swamp to Lake been attributed to ghosts, pirates, madmen, or flying name today. Even though Drummond, the first site to bear his name. In the late saucers. What causes these strange lights is Foxfire (a the average depth is only 1700’s, Riddick Ditch was completed. Together these luminescence given off by the decaying of wood by six feet, it’s unusually ditches provided a way to transport logs out of the certain fungi), burning methane escaping from decom- pure water is essential to Swamp and drain it as well. The Adventurers soon posing vegetation, or smoldering peat. the Swamp’s survival. realized, however, the task of draining the Swamp This lake supplies water was enormous and gave up that part of their plan to A GEOLOGICAL WONDER for the Dismal Swamp concentrate on lumbering. They cut much of the cy- Canal through the Feeder press trees for use in shipbuilding and the cedars for The Dismal is higher than the surrounding countryside Ditch. shingles and other products. ~ on a hillside at least 20’ above sea level. It is one of

the few places on the North American Continent JUNIPER WATER By 1796, Washington had become disappointed in the where peat is being formed. A varied assortment of management of the Dismal Swamp lumber business insects, frogs, mammals, and plants combine to form a Why is the water in the Swamp black? Actually it’s am- and contracted to sell his 1/12th share to unique community. Black bear, white-tailed deer, bob- ber-colored and unusually pure, preserved by the tannic “Lighthorse” Harry Lee, father of Robert E. Lee, who cat, and otter inhabit the Swamp, and 203 species of acids from the bark of the juniper, gum and cypress never was able to come up with the purchase price. birds have been reported. trees. Therefore, bacteria cannot grow in the water. So Washington’s share passed on to his heirs upon his Before the days of refrigeration, water from the Swamp death in 1799. Originally, the Swamp spread over approximately 2200 was a highly prized commodity on sailing ships, chemi- miles; however, thousands of acres have been cleared cally pure. It was put in kegs and would stay fresh a Camp Mfg. Company, a predecessor of Union Camp, and drained for cultivation, reducing the size of the long time. People spoke of the magical qualities of the acquired all the Dismal Swamp Land Company’s prop- Swamp to its present size of 600 square miles, engulf- tea-colored water and how, if it were regularly drunk, it ing nearly 300,000 acres in southeastern Virginia and erty in 1909. Lumbering continued in the Swamp and prevented illness and promoted long life.