Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal
Great Bridge Battlefield Museum
The fam took the Hubster and I to see the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal.
This man-made waterway connects Chesapeake Bay in Virginia and the Albemarle Sound in North Carolina.
The idea for the canal was proposed initially by William Byrd II in 1728. William Byrd II was an American planter, lawyer, surveyor and writer, politician and statesman, and considered the founder of Richmond, Virginia.
*Clicking on a photo will give you a closer look!
We enjoyed watching the bridge open up and let waterway traffic through.
The waterway project was authorized by Virginia fifteen years before the Dismal Swamp Canal, but work was not begun until after a series of delays.
The first delay, caused by the Revolutionary War, was the first land battle on Virginia soil at Great Bridge.
“The Great Bridge Battlefield & Waterways History Foundation protects, preserves, and promotes the history of the Battle of Great Bridge, December 9, 1775, and the region’s Revolutionary War and canal history to educate the public about the importance of these events in the creation and growth of America.”
“The primary approach to Norfolk was over Great Bridge, which spanned the Elizabeth River. The bridge was surrounded on both sides by the Great Dismal Swamp and was accessible only by narrow causeways on both the north and south sides. Both the Patriots and the British recognized the bridge’s importance.”
The battle lasted less than an hour.
It is estimated that at this battle, the British suffered 102 casualties and the Patriots suffered 1.
There is an overview of the Great Bridge Battle here.
“Colonel William Woodford, reporting on the 2nd Virginia Regiment’s service at the battle, wrote in a letter published in Purdie’s Virginia Gazette, December 15, 1775: “This was a second Bunker’s Hill affair, in miniature; with this difference, that we kept our post, and had only one man wounded in the hand.”
There is an admission cost to the museum, but it is worth the visit.
“Experience life in 18th century Virginia, learn about the water that defined the landscape, visit a Three Tun Tavern and find yourself in the middle of the Battle of Great Bridge! Visitors can explore eight galleries with interactive displays showcasing the battle and waterway history.”
I know I have a lousy photo of the flag. It was difficult not to get reflections from the glass.
The museum’s website has much better photos than I do.
They also have a very nice gift shop and the park has a historic interpretive pathway, an outdoor amphitheater, a recreation of the causeway from 1775, and a family picnic area.
See the world around you!
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