The Great Dismal Swamp is located in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Great Dismal Swamp is a marshy region on the Coastal Plain of southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina between Norfolk, Virginia, and Elizabeth City, North Carolina in the United States. It is a southern swamp, the northernmost of many along the Atlantic Ocean's coast which includes the Everglades and the Big Cypress Swamp in Florida, the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia, the Congaree Swamp and Four Holes swamps of South Carolina, and some of the Carolina bays in the Carolinas. Along the eastern edge runs the Dismal Swamp Canal, completed in 1805. Great Dismal Swamp This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 50 years. ... Great Dismal Swamp This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 50 years. ... Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  Ranked 35th  - Total 42,793 sq. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq. ... Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  Ranked 35th  - Total 42,793 sq. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Elizabeth City is a city located in Pasquotank County, North Carolina. ... A freshwater swamp This article is about the wetland type (a landform). ... An Anhinga perched on the boardwalk railing Everglades is also the name of a city in Collier County, Florida. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,794 sq. ... Canal Diggers Trail in early spring. ... Located in South Carolina, the 34 mi² (89 km²) Congaree National Park is the largest tract of old growth bottomland hardwood forest left in the United States but one of the smallest national parks. ... Official language(s) English Capital Largest city Columbia Columbia Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq. ... Carolina bays are oval-shaped depressions found in coastal Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and northeastern Georgia. ... Dismal Swamp Canal is located along the eastern edge of the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia and North Carolina in the United States. ...

Essential to the swamp ecosystem are its water resources, native vegetative communities, and varied wildlife species. The Great Dismal Swamp's ecological significance and its wealth of history and lore make it a unique wilderness. It is one of the last large and wild areas remaining in the Eastern United States. In ecology, an ecosystem is a combination of all the living and non-living elements of an area. ... Water resources are sources of water that are useful or potentially useful to humans. ... Divisions Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta - liverworts Anthocerotophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongues Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants Adiantum pedatum (a fern... Various species of deer are commonly seen wildlife across the Americas and Eurasia. ... The word ecology is often used in common parlance as a synonym for the natural environment or environmentalism. ... For other senses of this word, see history (disambiguation). ... Bob Marshall Wilderness, Montana, United States Wilderness is land that has not been significantly modified by direct or indirect human activity. ...

After centuries of logging and other human activities which were devastating the swamp's ecosystems, the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1973 when the Union Camp Corporation of Franklin, Virginia donated 49,100 acres (200 km²) of land; the refuge was officially established through The Dismal Swamp Act of 1974. Loggers on break, c. ... Trinomial name Homo sapiens sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Humans, or human beings, are biologically classified as bipedal primates belonging to the mammalian species Homo sapiens (Latin for wise man or thinking man) under the family Hominidae (the great apes). ... The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1974 to help protect and preserve a portion of the Great Dismal Swamp, a marshy region on the Coastal Plain of southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina between Norfolk, Virginia, and Elizabeth City, North Carolina in the United States. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... Union camp corporation had a bag production facility in New Hope PA until the late nineteen eighties. ... Motto: Nickname: Map Political Statistics Founded Incorporated Independent city Mayor James P. Councill Geographic Statistics Area  - Total  - Land  - Water 21. ...

The refuge consists of over 111,000 acres (500 km²) of forested wetlands. Lake Drummond, a 3,100 acre (13 km²) natural lake, is located in the heart of the swamp. Outside the boundaries of the National Refuge, the state of North Carolina has preserved and protected additional portions of the swamp, as the Great Dismal Swamp State Natural Area. A Wildlife refuge is a geographic territory within which wildlife is protected. ... Lake Drummond is one of only two natural lakes in Virginia. ... A lake is a body of water surrounded by land. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq. ...

History

Scientists believe the Great Dismal Swamp was created when the Continental shelf made its last big shift. The whole swamp has peat underneath.  Sediment  Rock  Mantle The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent, which is covered during interglacial periods such as the current epoch by relatively shallow seas (known as shelf seas) andbbccvcnccccccccccccccccccccccccvvvvvvvvvvvvvvcggggggggggggggggyutu7ti8yukiyuiyutuiyuiytui gulfs. ... Peat in Lewis, Scotland Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter. ...

The origin of Lake Drummond, one of only two natural lakes in Virginia, is disputed. Scientists believe the lake could have been created by the impact of a meteorite because it is oval shaped, looking like the impact of a meteor. They think it was made by a big meteorite like the ones that are thought to have made the Carolina Bays. Other people believe it was made by a large underground peat burn about 3,500 to 6,000 years ago. Indian legend talks about "the fire bird" creating Lake Drummond. Lake Drummond is one of only two natural lakes in Virginia. ... Tycho crater on Earths moon. ... A meteorite is an extraterrestrial body that survives its impact with the Earths surface without being destroyed. ... Fire-bird myths include: Benu Fenghuang Garuda Hoo Oo Phoenix Categories: Mythology stubs ... Lake Drummond is one of only two natural lakes in Virginia. ...

People are not sure who discovered the Great Dismal Swamp but there is archeological evidence which indicates human occupation began nearly 13,000 years ago.

By 1650, few Native Americans remained in the area, and European settlers showed little interest in the swamp. In 1665, William Drummond, a future governor of North Carolina, was the first European to explore the lake which now bears his name. William Byrd II led a surveying party into the swamp to draw a dividing line between Virginia and North Carolina in 1728. Twenty-six years before George Washington became the first president of the United States, he first visited the swamp and then formed the Dismal Swamp Land Company in 1763, which proceeded to drain and log off part of the area. A five-mile ditch on the west side of the current refuge there still bears his name. In 1805, the Dismal Swamp Canal began serving as a commercial highway for timber coming out of the swamp. // Events June 23 - Claimant King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland arrives in Scotland, the only of the three Kingdoms that has accepted him as ruler. ... An Atsina named Assiniboin Boy Photo by Edward S. Curtis. ... Events March 4 - Start of the Second Anglo-Dutch War. ... This page is about William Drummond (d. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq. ... William Byrd IIII (1674-1744) was born at Westover Plantation in Charles City County, Virginia, and educated in England for the law. ... Surveyor at work with a leveling instrument. ... Events Astronomical aberration discovered by the astronomer James Bradley Swedish academy of sciences founded at Uppsala The founding of the University of Havana (Universidad de la Habana), Cubas most well-established university. ... This article is the current U.S. Collaboration of the Week. ... 1763 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1805 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Dismal Swamp Canal is located along the eastern edge of the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia and North Carolina in the United States. ...

Fugitive Slaves in the Dismal Swamp, Virginia
David Edward Cronin, 1888

Before and during the American Civil War, the Great Dismal Swamp was a hideout for runaway slaves from the surrounding area. Some people believe there were at least a thousand slaves living in the swamp. This was the subject of Dred: A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp, Harriet Beecher Stowe's follow-on to Uncle Tom's Cabin. Image File history File links Fugitive Slaves in the Dismal Swamp, Virginia, David Edward Cronin, 1888, oil on canvas, 17 x 14 in. ... Image File history File links Fugitive Slaves in the Dismal Swamp, Virginia, David Edward Cronin, 1888, oil on canvas, 17 x 14 in. ... The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 until 1865 between the northern states, popularly referred to as the U.S., the Union, the North, or the Yankees; and the seceding southern states, commonly referred to as the Confederate States of America, the CSA, the Confederacy... It has been suggested that Chattel slavery be merged into this article or section. ... Dred: A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp is the second novel from American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. ... Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Elizabeth Beecher Stowe, born Harriet Elizabeth Beecher (June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an abolitionist and writer of more than 10 books, the most famous being Uncle Toms Cabin which describes life in slavery, and which was first published in serial... Uncle Toms Cabin Uncle Toms Cabin is a novel by American abolitionist author Harriet Beecher Stowe which treats slavery as a central theme. ...

While all efforts to drain the swamp ultimately failed, logging of the swamp proved to be a successful commercial activity. Regular logging operations continued as late as 1976. The entire swamp has been logged at least once, and many areas have been burned by periodic wildfires. The Great Dismal Swamp has been drastically altered by humans over the past two centuries. Agricultural, commercial, and residential development destroyed much of the swamp, so that the remaining portion within and around the refuge represents less than half of the original size of the swamp. 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1976 calendar). ... The Old Fire burning in the San Bernardino Mountains (image taken from the International Space Station) A wildfire, also known as a forest fire, vegetation fire, grass fire, brush fire, or bushfire (in Australasia), is an uncontrolled fire often occurring in wildland areas, but which can also consume houses or...

Before the refuge was established, over 140 miles of roads were constructed to provide access to the timber. These roads severely disrupted the swamp's natural hydrology, as the ditches which were dug to provide soil for the road beds drained water from the swamp. The roads also blocked the flow of water across the swamp's surface, flooding some areas of the swamp with stagnant water. The logging operations removed natural stands of baldcypress and Atlantic white cypress that were replaced by other forest types, particularly red maple. A drier swamp and the suppression of wildfires, which once cleared the land for seed germination, created environmental conditions that were less favorable to the survival of cypress stands. As a result, plant and animal diversity decreased. A typical rural county road in Indiana, USA, where traffic drives on the right. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Lumber. ... Water covers 70% of the Earths surface. ... Binomial name Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich. ... Binomial name Chamaecyparis thyoides (L.) Britton, Sterns & Poggenb. ... Binomial name Acer rubrum L. Red Maple (Acer rubrum) is also known as Swamp Maple or Soft Maple. ...

Preservation

In the mid 20th century, conservation groups from all over America began demanding that something be done to preserve what was left of the Great Dismal Swamp. In 1973, the Union Camp Company, a paper company based in Franklin, Virginia which had had large land property in the area since the beginning of this century, donated just over 49,000 acres (198 km²) of its land to The Nature Conservancy, which transferred the property the following year to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... Motto: Nickname: Map Political Statistics Founded Incorporated Independent city Mayor James P. Councill Geographic Statistics Area  - Total  - Land  - Water 21. ... The USFWS logo The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a unit of the United States Department of the Interior that is dedicated to managing and preserving wildlife. ...

The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge was officially established by the U.S. Congress through The Dismal Swamp Act of 1974. The refuge consists of almost 107,000 acres (433 km²) of forested wetlands. The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1974 to help protect and preserve a portion of the Great Dismal Swamp, a marshy region on the Coastal Plain of southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina between Norfolk, Virginia, and Elizabeth City, North Carolina in the United States. ... Congress in Joint Session. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1974 calendar). ...

The primary purpose of the refuge's resource management programs is to restore and maintain the natural biological diversity that existed prior to the human-caused alterations. Essential to the swamp ecosystem are its water resources, native vegetation communities, and varied wildlife species. Water is being conserved and managed by placing water control structures in the ditches. Plant community diversity is being restored and maintained through forest management activities which simulate the ecological effects of wildfires. Wildlife is managed by insuring the presence of required habitats, with hunting used to balance some wildlife populations with available food supplies. Biodiversity or biological diversity is a neologism and a portmanteau word, from bio and diversity. ... A hunter on horseback shoots at deer or elk with a bow. ...

Today

The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is located not only between two states, but also between two eco-regions, allowing for a wide range of plant and animal species. Baldcypress, tupelo, maple, Atlantic white cypress, and pine are the predominant tree species found on the refuge and support the wildlife within. Many mammal species, including black bear, bobcat, otter, and weasel along with over 70 species of reptiles and amphibians call the swamp home. More than 200 bird species can be seen at the swamp throughout the year, while 96 of those are known to nest on the refuge. The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1974 to help protect and preserve a portion of the Great Dismal Swamp, a marshy region on the Coastal Plain of southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina between Norfolk, Virginia, and Elizabeth City, North Carolina in the United States. ... Ecological land classification is defined as being a cartographical delineation of distinct ecological areas, identified by their geology, topography, soils, vegetation, climate conditions, living species, water resources, as well as anthropic factors. ... For the city, see Tupelo, Mississippi. ... The MAPLE (Multipurpose Applied Physics Lattice Experiment) dedicated isotope-production facility is a current project jointly undertaken by AECL and MDS Nordion. ... Species About 115. ... Orders Subclass Multituberculata (extinct) Plagiaulacida Cimolodonta Subclass Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Subclass Triconodonta (extinct) Subclass Eutheria (includes extinct ancestors)/Placentalia (excludes extinct ancestors) Afrosoricida Artiodactyla Carnivora Cetacea Chiroptera Cimolesta (extinct) Creodonta (extinct) Condylarthra (extinct) Dermoptera Desmostylia (extinct) Dinocerata (extinct) Embrithopoda (extinct) Hyracoidea Insectivora Lagomorpha Litopterna (extinct) Macroscelidea Mesonychia (extinct) Notoungulata (extinct) Perissodactyla... In biology, a species is the basic unit of biodiversity. ... Binomial name Ursus americanus Pallas, 1780 The American black bear (Ursus americanus), also known as the cinnamon bear, is the most common bear species native to North America. ... Binomial name Lynx rufus (Schreber, 1777) The Bobcat (Lynx rufus, commonly misinterpreted as Felis rufus) is a small wild cat indigenous to North America. ... Genera Amblonyx Aonyx Enhydra Lontra Lutra Lutrogale Pteronura Otters are aquatic or marine carnivorous mammals, members of the large and diverse family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, polecats, badgers, and others. ... Species Mustela africana Mustela altaica Mustela erminea Mustela eversmannii Mustela felipei Mustela frenata Mustela kathiah Mustela lutreola Mustela lutreolina Mustela nigripes Mustela nivalis Mustela nudipes Mustela putorius Mustela sibirica Mustela strigidorsa Mustela vison Mustela Whitus Weasels are mammals in the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family. ... Orders See text. ... Subclasses and Orders Order Temnospondyli- extinct Subclass Lepospondyli- extinct Subclass Lissamphibia   Anura   Caudata   Gymnophiona Amphibians (class Amphibia) are a taxon of animals that include all tetrapods (four-legged vertebrates) that do not have amniotic eggs. ... Orders Many - see section below. ...

Lake Drummond is the middle of activity in the swamp today, though, with many fishermen, sightseers, and boaters. Boat tours are given from the Dismal Swamp Canal, to Lake Drummond.

Photograph of Lake Drummond, Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Virginia

Photograph of the reddish colored sand of the shallow water on a calm day of Lake Drummond, Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Virginia

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1280x960, 230 KB)taken by me and my brother back ~2003 no copyright(s) free to distribute to anyone you please =) source: Ic3yme 02:32, 23 April 2006 (UTC) I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1280x960, 230 KB)taken by me and my brother back ~2003 no copyright(s) free to distribute to anyone you please =) source: Ic3yme 02:32, 23 April 2006 (UTC) I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy... Lake Drummond is one of only two natural lakes in Virginia. ... The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1974 to help protect and preserve a portion of the Great Dismal Swamp, a marshy region on the Coastal Plain of southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina between Norfolk, Virginia, and Elizabeth City, North Carolina in the United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  Ranked 35th  - Total 42,793 sq. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1280x960, 230 KB)taken by me and my brother back ~2003 no copyright(s) free to distribute to anyone you please =) source: Ic3yme 02:37, 23 April 2006 (UTC) I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1280x960, 230 KB)taken by me and my brother back ~2003 no copyright(s) free to distribute to anyone you please =) source: Ic3yme 02:37, 23 April 2006 (UTC) I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy... Lake Drummond is one of only two natural lakes in Virginia. ... The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1974 to help protect and preserve a portion of the Great Dismal Swamp, a marshy region on the Coastal Plain of southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina between Norfolk, Virginia, and Elizabeth City, North Carolina in the United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Area  Ranked 35th  - Total 42,793 sq. ...

External links

• official site National Park Service, Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
• GORP's guide to The Great Dismal Swamp
• Defenders of Wildlife Organization - Great Dismal Swamp page