Canal systems are History in a Bag luncheon treat

Katy Nicholson Herald Staff Writer

WELDON - About 35 people showed up for a lunchtime lesson on area canal systems at the second History in a Bag program at The Centre at Halifax Community College.

Harold Jacobson, manager of the Roanoke Canal Museum and Trail, presented a brief history of the city's canal, from its completion by slaves and artisans in 1824, to its decreased use around 1840 due to the popularity of the railroads, to its eventual use as a source of power.

The canal, which brought in just over $300,000, or about $4.7 million by today's standards, was not an economic success, Jacobson explained, but did open up the surrounding area to commerce.

Penny Leary-Smith, director of the Dismal Swamp Canal Visitor Center, and George Ramsey, director of the southeast region of the Virginia Canals and Navigations Society, provided a slide show and presentation on the history of the Dismal Swamp Canal.

The oldest man-made canal still in operation in the United States, it runs across the border of North Carolina and Virginia.

The program was free to the public and sponsored by The Centre, the Roanoke Canal Museum and Trail, the Halifax County Tourism Authority and Subway, which provided free sandwiches for the first 15 people who signed up.

The audience seemed engaged in the presentations and asked a few questions, including whether George Washington had ever surveyed the Dismal Swamp. This seemed to be a point of friendly contention between Leary-Smith and Ramsey.

Leary-Smith said she and others at the visitors center enjoy the “notoriety” that goes along with the rumor and like to think it is true. Ramsey, on the other hand, was skeptical. Though Washington may have helped survey the Washington Ditch Canal, he was in the midst of his presidency at the time the Dismal Swamp Canal was surveyed.

“I doubt that he took time out of his presidential duties to run down to the Dismal Swamp,” he said.

Albert Baker attended the program because he is interested in both history and water. Baker, who was born and raised 20 miles south of Roanoke Rapids, moved to Lake Gaston from New Jersey.

Though he has not yet visited the Canal Museum and Trail, Baker said he would like to do so in the future.

“It (the presentation) was very good, very helpful,” he said. “I would love to see more of it.”

Baker met Phyllis Cain, who happens to be one of his neighbors, at the program.

Though she used to have relatives who lived near the Deep Creek Canal, Cain said she'd never thought much about the canal until now.

Cain, who has lived on the lake for a number of years, said she liked seeing members of the community get together to share local history. A former citizen of Bermuda, Cain recently became a U.S. citizen. In order to gain citizenship, she had to pass an American history test, and found that she'd enjoyed learning much more than was on the test.

“I love history,” she said, adding she would like to see it become a bigger part of the country's culture.

Baker and Cain both said they would be interested in future History in a Bag programs. Additional events are in the works, according to Christina Gordon, eco-heritage tourism manager for the Halifax County Tourism Development Authority, who said she is looking into programs on local wine, Native American and NASCAR history.

Gordon said she could use suggestions for other topics and encourages people to call her at the Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce at 537-3513.