The Army Corps of Engineers announced in early May that the famous Dismal Swamp Canal had reopened on May 6 after months of maintenance. The canal is 40 miles long and runs from Chesapeake, Virginia to South Mills, North Carolina.
The canal has a controlling depth of only six feet and is only 150 feet wide so larger vessels will have to stay in the ICW to get between the Chesapeake and Albermarle Sound. Still, most cruising boats will find the canal well worth a transit.
The length of the canal is a no-wake zone so it usually takes all day to make the run. Or you can stop for a night near Camden Causeway at Lamb’s Marina or Hattie Creek Marina. There are also several places you can moor canal-side for free.
One of the pleasures of the Swamp is the abundance of wildlife, particularly birds of all types and sizes. Even if you’re not a birder, it is always fun to watch hawks, buzzards and even eagles circling above as they ride thermals and search for a meal. Plus the swamp is filled with snakes.
The swamp, which is on the National List of Historic Places and the List of National Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks, holds a special place in history. In 1763, George Washington, was hired by an entrepreneur named William Byrd II to survey a route from the swamps western edge to a lake in the swamp.
Washington then supervised the construction of a five-mile trench, now known as Washington’s Ditch, which was to be used to ferry timber cut in the swamp to market. Washington owned a one-twelfth share in the lumber company that he held until his death.
The actual digging of the Dismal Swamp Canal began in 1793. Enslaved workers belonging to local plantation owners were rented to the construction company digging the canal and labored there for 12 years until it was completed. When it opened in 1805, the canal linked the Chesapeake Bay to Albemarle Sound and became an important economic driver for the Mid-Atlantic states.
The swamp also was a refuge for escaped slaves who set up camps and became what was known as the marooned people.
A two-day transit on a cruising boat offers a wild American wilderness experience in a region brimming with history.
