Humans have lived in and around the Great Dismal Swamp for thousands of years. Indigenous people hunted, fished, farmed nearby lands, and used the swamp as a seasonal resource and refuge. The rough terrain and abundant resources served them well, as did their ability to hide when needed.

of the first things she did was write a reminder for him:   “…[R]emember the ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors… If particular care and attention is not paid to the Ladies, we are determined to foment a Rebellion…”

In the Antebellum South (1815–1861), the planter class ensured a rigid, hierarchical society. Small farmers, or Yeomen, white workers, and poor whites made up seventy-five percent of the white population, but the wealthy planters controlled everything else. This produced significant economic and social tensions between the two classes.

unt Molly Jackson (1880-1960) was born Mary Magdalene Garland in 1880 in Clay County, Kentucky. She was a protest singer, a union activist, and a midwife. Born in an Appalachian coal-mining community, she fought the coal mine’s tyranny throughout her life through her union activities and song.