Off the Shelf: Walks Along the Washington Ditch of the Great Dismal Swamp

The deep amber colored water of the Dismal Swamp is tinted from the tannic acid of the surrounding cypress, gum, and juniper trees which prohibits the growth of bacteria. In past centuries ships carried barrels of this pure swamp elixir which was believed to cure illnesses. Captain Cook is reputed to have filled his ships water barrels from Lake Drummond before embarking on his world voyage. The dark, mysterious water is the most distinctive characteristic of the Great Dismal Swamp; one of the last remaining great wild places along the Eastern Seaboard.

The Washington Ditch, constructed by George Washington's Land Company circa 1768, may be the nation's oldest artificial waterway. The canal, almost five miles long and ten foot wide, was dug by slave labor to transport log rafts and drain the canal. The enslaved people who worked as lumber men lived in a vanished settlement located at the western origin point of the canal called "Dismal Town". Recently, I have been enjoying walking the trail that runs beside the ditch.

The land was eventually sold to the Union Camp Company, who constructed the road bed beside the canal. In 1973, the company donated the 49,100 acre tract to the Land Conservancy, for transfer to the U.S. Department of the Interior. The tract is now part of the 107,000 acre Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, created to "protect and restore" the great swamp; home to bobcats, otters, deer, birds, turtles, and one of the largest black bear populations on the East Coast.

"The Great Dismal Swamp has long been considered a place of natural beauty, mystery, and legend. The swamp is an integral part of the cultural history of the region and remains a place of refuge for people and for wildlife." (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

The Washington Ditch empties directly into Lake Drummond. The Ditch is fed by several small streams, probably from springs in the swamp. Often the air has a wonderful, sweet smell. There is a deep, calming silence in the swamp, broken only by the splashes of frogs and bird calls in the forest.