A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp

Unlike cadeaux, swamps are not generally thought pleasant things.  William Byrd II, the famous Virginian diarist, certainly didn't think they were pleasant at all; during a surveying expedition establishing the border between the colonies of Virginia and North Carolina,  he called a large intermittent swampy area the Great Dismal Swamp.  And, after a week in that swamp, I can definitely see why.

Edge of the Great Dismal Swamp, along a 20th century canal

In June, I spent a week volunteering with American University's field school in the Great Dismal Swamp.  It was a pretty incredible experience, specially for someone who's used to urban archaeology, or simply arid archaeology.  Swamps are wet, muddy, and full of all kinds of critters: turtles, frogs, snakes, mosquitoes, bears, flies, deer, you name it.  Who on earth would want to live in a swamp?

The study area is just over the border into North Carolina

In the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries, escaped slaves, also known as maroons, formed communities in largely inaccessible places like the Great Dismal Swamp.  These maroon societies functioned apart from the rest of the world, their inhabitants making use of objects left by previous Native American occupation, or whatever they could carry into the swamp themselves.  Though it's hard to imagine living in a swamp, it was worth it to these people.  They risked their lives in order to escape from slavery, then again to find their way to communities in the swamp.  It really says something about how much they valued liberty.

A black bear got into the supplies during the night

The Great Dismal Swamp Landscape Study (GDSLS) is focused on documenting the occupational history of the swamp, primarily the eighteenth century.  There's not a whole lot of heavy-duty digging - features are pretty shallow in the soil.  However, this was certainly the most detailed screening I've ever encountered at a site.  While screening with 1/4" mesh is common, and 1/8" mesh is used for feature fill, the GDSLS uses 1/16" mesh for all but the uppermost "root cap" layer.  Additionally, they run a magnet over the screens before dumping the organic material.  Both of these methods help to catch smaller artifacts like small pieces of metal or a flake that would otherwise be lost.

Getting ready to hike out of the swamp at the end of the day

This was definitely one of the coolest projects I've worked on.  Just hiking in and out of the swamp in waders and snake chaps - and digging with the snake chaps still on - was an adventure.  It was also an great opportunity to understand just what people were willing to put up with in order to gain freedom on their own terms.  So while I can understand William Byrd II's attribution, especially pre-bug repellent, I didn't find the swamp dismal at all.  I suppose it all depends on your perspective.