Great Dismal Swamp

Proposed National ParkVirginia and North Carolina
Lake Drummond in the Great Dismal SwampPhotograph: KitsuneFX, CC BY-SA 4.0
All proposed National ParksGreat Dismal SwampNo active campaign
Location
Virginia/North Carolina
Current protection
Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge; Dismal Swamp State Park (North Carolina)
Status
No active campaign
Tier
Tier 2 · National Monument
In the book
Not featured in Undiscovered America

Why should it be a National Park?

The Great Dismal Swamp spreads across the Virginia–North Carolina line around Lake Drummond, one of only two natural lakes in Virginia, dark with the tannins of cypress and cedar. George Washington surveyed it, and for generations it sheltered communities of people who escaped slavery.

Few places hold natural and American history this tightly bound together. The swamp deserves the recognition of a National Park.

The history of National Park Campaigns

Roger Toll inspected the Great Dismal Swamp for the Park Service in 1934. In 1941 the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce urged park or monument status, and Sen. Harry F. Byrd forwarded the request, only to be told there was no money to buy the land. The swamp became a national wildlife refuge in 1974.

Distinct National Park attempts
2 (1934 inspection; 1941 request)
Other designation attempts
1 (1974 refuge)

Sources

  • National Park Service, Suggested Areas Resumes (1957)
  • Wikipedia, List of proposed National Parks of the United States
Know of a campaign? Tell us
  1. 1763

    George Washington surveys the swamp for a company that plans to drain it.

  2. November 1934

    Roger W. Toll inspects the swamp as a potential National Park.

  3. 1941

    The Suffolk Chamber of Commerce urges park or monument status; Sen. Harry F. Byrd forwards it and is told purchase funds are lacking.

  4. 1974

    Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is established.