The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1973 when the Union Camp Corporation of Franklin, Virginia, donated 49,100 acres (19,900 ha) of land after centuries of logging …

Feb 6, 2025 · The Great Dismal Swamp is a 113,000-acre National Wildlife Refuge straddling southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. The swamp once spanned one million acres, …

From the seventeenth through nineteenth century, the Great Dismal Swamp was home to an estimated 50,000 people, a unique community made up of indigenous peoples, free people of color, and those …

From a Native American legacy reaching back at least 6,000 years to a motley assemblage of criminal fugitives, moonshiners, poachers, and outlaws that flourished until relatively recently, the swamp has …

Feb 23, 2021 · Learn more about the Great Dismal Swamp and what we’re doing to ensure it’s protected for generations to come.

The swamp was once the habitat of many rare birds, including the ivory-billed woodpecker. The cottonmouth and other poisonous snakes are numerous. The area is noted for fishing and hunting; …

Oct 31, 2025 · This experience and subsequent research inspired Nevius’s 2020 publication, which continues to illuminate an often-overlooked chapter of American history—one where freedom was …

HISTORY The cultural history of the Great Dismal Swamp is rich and varied. Prior to European colonization, the Paleo and Archaic Indians occupied the swamp and its surrounding uplands.

Throughout this StoryMap, you'll learn how this swamp has been a refuge for enslaved and free People of Color, a home to Native Americans and Maroons, an ecosystem of tremendous importance, and a …

Brent Morris, author of the new book Dismal Freedom: A History of the Maroons of the Great Dismal Swamp, examines the lives of these maroons and their struggles for liberation, and tells one of the …