Greenbrier West in Chesapeake, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The Iron Titans Tame the Marsh
The Waterways
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, October 28, 2011
1. The Iron Titans Tame the Marsh Marker
By 1850, larger steam driven commercial carriers needed a faster, deeper and wider passage to market than the hand dug Dismal Swamp Canal, a few miles west of here. Digging the Dismal Swamp Canal, between 1793 and 1805, was filled with challenges. Manually dug by slave and indentured labor through snake-infested swamp land, the canal proved too narrow and shallow for steam powered vessels.
Steam power changed the face of America. The steam engine was adopted by industry, transportation and agriculture. In 1850, steam dredges, called Iron Titans, dug through tangles of roots and rock-hard cypress knees to build the deeper and wider Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal.
In 1859, the pony steamboat Calypso (pictured above) was the first vessel to navigate the new Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal.
Erected by Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Man-Made Features • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1850.
Location. 36° 43.419′ N, 76° 14.813′ W. Marker is in Chesapeake, Virginia.
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Hampton Roads, specifically in Coastal Virginia, and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in the Tidewater, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Liquid Highways (here, next to this marker); Why Build a Canal Here? (here, next to this marker); What is a Lock? (here, next to this marker); Bridging the Past with the Present
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, October 28, 2011
2. Great Bridge Lock Markers
Another marker is no longer nearby. Village of Great Bridge (was about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
More about this marker. On the right is a drawing entitled "Iron Titan" from "Albemarle & Chesapeake Canal" Harpers Monthly May 1860
Also see . . .
1. Great Bridge Lock Park - Chesapeake, VA. Gateways and Watertrails Network (Submitted on October 30, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)
2. Great Bridge Lock Park. City of Chesapeake (Submitted on October 30, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)
3. Albemarle & Chesapeake Canal Historic District (pdf file). National Register of Historic Places (Submitted on October 30, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.)
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, October 28, 2011
3. Albemarle & Chesapeake Canal Observation Platform
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, October 28, 2011
4. The Calypso
Virginia Canals & Navigations Society
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 30, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,140 times since then and 30 times this year. Last updated on November 25, 2022, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 30, 2011, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.
