on the canal, the N.C. Department of 

 Transportation opened the Dismal Swamp 

 Canal Welcome Center in 1989 on U.S. 17 in 

 Camden County. The center is located on the 

 canal's eastern banks, five miles north of the 

 South Mills lock. 



"We meet wonderful people by highway 

 and waterway," says Penny Leary-Smith, the 

 welcome center's director. "We see some of the 

 same couples every spring and fall. We know 



them by the names of their boats." 



The Dismal Swamp Canal also has 

 a colorful past. Its history dates back to 

 1728, when Col. William Byrd of Virginia 

 described the swamp as a "vast body of dirt 

 and nastiness." His experience prompted him 

 to consider a canal that would connect the 

 Albemarle Sound to the Elizabeth River. 



Famous folks have made their marks 

 on the canal, including George Washington. 



For him, the swamp was far from dismal. 

 Washington realized the value of the area's 

 great stands of virgin Atlantic white cedar and 

 organized the Dismal Swamp Land Company 

 in 1763. 



The nation's first president and fellow 

 investors saw the rich potential of Dismal 

 Swamp timber and invested in 40,000 acres of 

 timberland during the next two decades. 



Continued 



Coastwatch I Spring 2006 I www.ncseagrant.org 13 



