Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge

Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge preserves more than 112,000 acres of forested wetlands in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, protecting part of one of the eastern United States' last large wild areas after centuries of logging and widespread loss of the original swamp. Established in 1974 after a major land donation and the passage of the Dismal Swamp Act, the refuge includes Lake Drummond and supports diverse plant and animal life, including many birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. The swamp also has a long human history, including maroon communities from the 1660s, use as a refuge by freedom seekers, and the still-active Dismal Swamp Canal opened in 1805.

Chesapeake, Virginia · United States