Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-11-30
Correspondence of THE EVENING STAR.
W. V.

heart of the Dismal swamp. three miles from
Lake Drunimond and at the north end of the
| summit level of the Dismal Swamp canal.
| To the stranger going up the canal on the
| little steamer, after passing through miles OF
unbroken forest with no signs o. life on either
| hand, the first sight of the level stretch of
| country ahead, covered with vast fields of corn
and the cottages or more rretcnt!ous mansions
scattered here and there, presents striking
| contrast to the surrounding dismalness and
| suggests an oasis in desert.
1t takes its name from Geo. T. Wallace, but
| recently deceased who owned vast timber in
| terests IN the swamp and here made his home
! when poor youn. man, nearly half century
| ago. lne magnificent Dover farm, celebrated
| AL over the state for its fertility will stand as
monument to his pluck and perseverance,. 1t
! Is situated wholly on sde west side of the canal
No man had ever before attempted to redeem
any or the lands west of the canal. flooded az
| they were the greater portion of the year by
| the waters of the Overlooking lake. and it was
thought to be only folly 70 attempt such thins,
| as to try to cultivate even 4 small garden patch
! there. Mr.. Wallace babe the waters defiance
| and cleared and drained Il thousand acres.
| which he has succe ..Iu.ly cultivated for more
| than fifteen years, thus demonstrating in the
most practical manner the fact tGat the soil of
tbis region, when properly drained. is as fertile
| as any III the world and silencing those who
| A"do hCd az Ms dsatEGOH tbdt ne WOliu eAsSilU
| his farm to the shores of the lake itself.
Wdllaceton. situated as it il. so near the CEN
| ter or the great Dismal swamp. description
| OF Its lands ana its industries will indicate 10
those interested in the future development of
the agricultural resources Of the swamp Whist is
| possible in this direction.
THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT
| to cultivate lands so near the canal and the
| lake dates from the opening of the northwest
| II r..
| nal at WallacetOn with the Northwest river 1T
| the head OF navigation This small waterway
| by draining considerable swamp land through
which 1t passed, proved good thing for the
| owners OF lands III the vicinity of what is now
Mallaceton, a. it made it possible to drain a
| large number of acres which might have re-
manned swamp to this day.
| 1t was found after the Dismal Swamp canal
had been IN successful operation for number
| OF years that such a connection with the North
west river, as above described. was demanded
| by the trade OF that part of North Carolina
| bordering on Currituck sound and its tributa-
| rles whose only way to Norfolk was by the cir
! cultous and often dangerous route up Abe
| marie sound to Elizabeth City, N. C., and
thence through the Dismal Swamp canal to
| Norfolk. 1t was seen that the distance to
market for the products OF this rich section
would not only be decreased but that by open
| ing up and giving this section easier trans
| pOrtatlon facilities The revenues OF the mother
canal would be considerably increased. All
| this proved to be true. but the Northwest
canal was doomed for short life, as the OPEN
| ing IN 1850 of the Albemarle and Chesapeake
| canal not only completely rendered this canal
useless as waterway but crippled the COM
merce Of the older canal to large extent
lie Northwest canal, more commonly known
az the little canal" was begun and completed
under the directions of Henry Garrett, who was
at that time the superintendent the Dismal
swamp canal and q man OF considerable wealth
and influence IN his time and large owner of
swamp lands.
Nj. Garrett himself dug the first spadeful of
art which marked the beginning of tine ''liitle
canal, and named it after the river which it
paraIelled. There were two locks located near
each terminus of about eight feet fall EACH
As bas been said the little canal" ceased to
pay upon the opening of the Aibemarle and
oAeHapeake canal, which as il well known, joins
Currltuck sound and the Elizabeth river, and
being much deeper and wider than either the
older waterways. admits the passage of vessels
of larger draft. With nearly or quite ell its
trade diverted to its larger rival, the little
canal was abandoned. dam was thrown
across at its juncture with the mother canal
the locks were opened and ever since it has
been used as drain for all the adjacent farms
but more recently it was excayated distance
of three miles by Mr. Wallace for the purpose
OF taking off the water from his Dover farm
In order to do this he constructed at great ex-
pense culvert underneath tie Dismal Swamp
canal and turned the waters into the dry bed of
this immense ditch.
1t was at the juncture of these two canals.
now nearly fifty years ago, that Vim. G. Stew
art settled ana began to reclaim what was the
FIRST FARM RECLAIMED
from the Dismal swamp-certainly it was the
first attempt to cultivate lands so near the canal
Oh the other side of which water was deep
enough for boats to float among the trees and
reeds. Some time after this Mr.. George T.
Wallace settled near Mr. Stewart and began
what is known as the Glencoe farm-now a
most valuable farm and on which the first bale
OF hay ever raised i'll the swamp was grown.
Long before this place was settled there were
other farms farther off to the east of the
canal, on the stiff clay ridge soils to
be found around the edges of the
Dismal" but in the swamp proper
Wallaceton claims to have had the pioneer
farmers.
Mr. Stewart died Immediately after the war.
before he had begun to realize his fondest
hopes OF improving and enlarging his estate
but MIR. Wallace was spared many more years
and succeeded IN making his property before
his death among the most valuable in the
county of Norfolk,
At the junction of these two canals is Wal
laceton. 1t was for long time known as Lake
Drummond, but upon petition of its citizens
to the Postmaster General the name was
changed in 1880 in honor of its first and fore
most citizen, Mr.. Wallace.
Wallaceton is situated sixteen miles from
Portsmouth by road (six miles of which is a
shelled pike and the same distance by water.
1t Is four miles from Lake Drummond by way of
the feeder" and about three miles in a direct
line. The facilities for communicating with
the outside world are two mails daily-one
from the south in the morning and one from
the north in the afternoop-besides a teIe-
graph office.
A SUPPLY STATION
Wallaceton Is a supply station for all the
laborers who work in the swamp around the
lake, and its three stores have considerable
trade of this kind.
There ID large saw and planning mill imme-
dlately on the canal. besides a smaller mill for
smelling and grinding corn and hacking the
husks, the latter industry having become of
considerable Importance in this vicinity The
husks are prepared and shipped in bales to
northern mattress factories. Another mill of
THIS KIND Is doing good business, combining
cotton gin with its other machinery
These stores and mills are all situated on the
canal bank, and the steamers and vessels which
ply through the canal can land at their doors
THE TIMBER
from the lake, principally juniper logs is brought
down the ''feeder" in large fiat boats. called
Fighters" and piled for miles along the canal
bank, where it is loaded as required on larger
fiat boats to be transported TO the mills at Deem
Creek and manufactured into shingles tele-
graph arms, DC. The scene around one
of these supply stores on Saturday when the
swampers have gathered to draw their supplies
Is OF interest to those who have neyer sean fba