Here’s a sneak peak of Smithsonian Channel’s special Escape to the Great Dismal Swamp, airing Monday, February 19 at 8:00 pm ET/PT.
And here’s the official press release —
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SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL
ESCAPE TO THE GREAT DISMAL SWAMP
THE SPECIAL AIRS MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19 AT 8PM ET/PT
With the help of modern dating methods and extensive research, historical archaeologists from American University, Daniel Sayers and Becca Peixotto, are proving that the Great Dismal Swamp did not just serve as a temporary hiding place for people heading north to freedom. In addition, it was home to escaped slaves who built communities over hundreds of years. On expeditions deep in the swamp’s interior, the archaeological teams excavate centuries-old artifacts that provide concrete evidence that several settlements existed. These discoveries, combined with animated renderings of cabins and a defensive fort, are helping historians imagine what life in the swamp might have looked like hundreds of years ago. The courageous, resourceful and self-governing people lived and worked together on small islands, raising families and organizing themselves to survive. Despite the risks, the Great Dismal Swamp was a place that offered refuge from the torments of slavery and a chance to start a new life of independence.
By Sayers’ calculations, tens of thousands of African Americans may have lived in the Great Dismal Swamp over the centuries – especially remarkable given that they were surrounded by slave-holding communities hostile to their existence. Eric Sheppard, a Dismal Swamp descendant from Suffolk, Va., relates stories of his ancestor Moses Grandy, and Elaine Nichols and Mary Elliott of the National Museum of African American History and Culture share their informed perspective of what the artifacts mean to a history thought to have been lost.
ESCAPE TO THE GREAT DISMAL SWAMP is produced by Story House Productions and Smithsonian Channel. Executive Producer for Story House Productions is Andreas Gutzeit. Executive Producers for Smithsonian Channel are Linda Goldman and David Royle.
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Content, video, and photo © 2018 Smithsonian Channel. All Rights Reserved.
Linda
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