Points of Interest

North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program

The North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program was established in 1935 as an effort to standardize the practice of marking significant historical sites through-out North Carolina. In Camden County the seven historical silver and black markers represent the:

• Battle of South Mills
• Dismal Swamp Canal
• Dempsey Burgess
• Isaac Gregory
• Lemuel Sawyer
• William Reed
• McBride Church

For more information on the program and the Camden markers go to: North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program

Click here to read a first hand account, as reported on May 1, 1862 by the Augusta Chronicle, of a confederate soldier present at the Battle of South Mills.

For even more information regarding the Battle of South Mills, check out this website:  http://rblong.net/southmillsbattle/.

Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center

On the banks of the Dismal Swamp Canal and US Highway 17, visitors and natives will find Eco-tourism opportunities including:

• Hiking
• Biking
• Birding
• Paddling
• Photography

The Welcome Center greets highway and boating traffic and provides assistance to the traveling public.

Over 500 brochures provide information on travel destinations throughout the state. The complex has a 3 mile asphalt trail with a highway extension into South Mills, totalling 5 miles and a 1/4 mile Nature Trail. Paddlers can launch their canoe or kayak by the Pedestrian bridge to the Park. For more information go to: www.dismalswampwelcomecenter.com

Dismal Swamp Canal

The historic Dismal Swamp Canal, which was completed in 1805, is the oldest hand-dug waterway in the country still in use today.

The Canal is part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway and has been entered into the National Register of Historic Places, designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark and recognized as part of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program.

It is part of both the NC and VA Civil War Trails. Today, approximately 1,500 to 2,000 pleasure boats cruise through the waters each year, enjoying the mystery the area has to offer.

For more information go to: Dismal Swamp Canal

Dismal Swamp State Park

The Dismal Swamp State Park provides an interactive visitor experience with the ecology of the Great Dismal Swamp. Here, you can learn about the varieties of flora, fauna and wildlife and explore the mysteries of the swamp's history. The swamp supports a large variety of migratory neo-tropical birds, mammals, (including the Dismal Swamp southeastern shrew, black bear and bobcat), reptiles and amphibians.

The Park provides a boardwalk into the swamp and 16.7 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails. They offer a calendar of events each month on varied topics. Also, the park offers mountain bike and tandem kayak rentals for $5 first hour and $3 each additional hour.

For more information go to: Dismal Swamp State Park

Click here to see what the Dismal Swamp State Park has to offer visitors.

Camden County's Historic Jailhouse

The Historic Jailhouse is home to the Camden County Board of Elections and Camden County's Museum and it is open to the public during regular office hours, Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

March 16, 2010 The Daily Advance wrote an article highlighting Camden County's old jail. The article describes the history of the jail and how Camden County came to build it. Click here to read the article "Camden 's Old Jail Turns 100".

In February 2010 Our State Magazine published an article by Lisa Tarrants on the Camden County Jail. "Botched escapes and two fires..." plus "The Importance of History" are highlighted in her story.

In January 2012, PBS aired a documentary highlighting the history of the Camden County Historic Jailhouse. To see this video, click here.

To schedule a group tour of this facility, contact Elaine Best at the Camden County Board of Elections, at 252-338-5530.