Andreas Gutzeit

In the 1800s, southern newspapers ran ads seeking runaway slaves suspected of taking refuge in a vast wetland called the Great Dismal Swamp. For decades, scholars have sought proof that the reports were true, and now they finally have it. See how a team of archaeologists is using new discoveries and modern dating methods to piece together this lost part of American history. Then discover what life was like for these brave men and women, who chose to suffer in the swamp and keep their freedom rather than live under the conditions of slavery.

The Great Dismal Swamp: an uninhabitable wasteland, covering parts of Virginia and North Carolina. A treacherous den of poisonous water snakes, blood-sucking insects, spiders and predators like black bears and lynxes. But some had no other option except braving these dangers, like fugitive slaves, who needed a way to escape the cruelty of their white masters.