The Iron Titans Tame the Marsh?

The Iron Titans Tame the Marsh? (HMX0Y)

Location: Chesapeake, VA 23320
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Country: United States of America
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N 36° 43.419', W 76° 14.813'

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Inscription

The Waterways

The Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal Gains Steam

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.
Details
HM NumberHMX0Y
Tags
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Placed ByChesapeake Bay Gateways Network
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Sunday, October 19th, 2014 at 3:48pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 388654 N 4064941
Decimal Degrees36.72365000, -76.24688333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 36° 43.419', W 76° 14.813'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds36° 43' 25.14" N, 76° 14' 48.78" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)757
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 2343-2599 Locks Rd, Chesapeake VA 23320, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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