Record #:

10638

Author(s):

Morrison, Robert H.

Abstract:

William Byrd, the first author/explorer of the Great Dismal Swamp, was appointed by the royal governor of Virginia to a bi-state commission charged with surveying the North Carolina border. The survey began on March 5, 1728 and reached the Great Dismal on March 14. Byrd kept two journals, one for an official account and the other for his personal insights. The official journal was published 1841 and the personal journal was published in 1929. In both accounts, Byrd insisted that there was no wildlife in the swamp. Of the numerous explorers who ventured into the Great Dismal in Byrd's wake, including future president George Washington, not one mentioned the absence of wildlife.

Source:

The State (NoCar F 251 S77), Vol. 38 Issue 16, Jan 1971, p9-10, 26, il

Subject(s):

Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge; Byrd, William, 1674-1744