The Fabulous History of the Dismal Swamp Company: A Story of George Washington's Times

by Charles Royster

From historian Charles Royster--winner of the Francis Parkman, Bancroft, and Lincoln prizes--comes the history of one of eighteenth-century America's most fantastic land speculation William Byrd's scheme to develop 900 square miles of swamp on the Virginia-North Carolina border and create fabulous wealth for himself and other shareholders, including George Washington.Royster scrupulously follows the paper trail through the byways of transatlantic deal-cutting, providing a rare view of early American economic culture.  Elegantly written and impressively researched, The Fabulous History of the Dismal Swamp Company is an eye-opening account of greed, folly, and venture capitalism in the revolutionary era.From the Trade Paperback edition.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Presidents, American History, Historical, Ebooks, Science

640 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 3, 1999

Reviews

[Randy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started this book expecting to learn some fascinating information about the founding fathers and their business dealings, but I could slog through much more than the first 100 pages of the book. Maybe the book got much much better later on but "so many books, so little time!" syndrome just made me finally give it up as a lost cause. Maybe some day I will pick it up and try starting in the middle to see if it is any better.

[Lauren Hiebner · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story of the Dismal Swamp Company is a story of early colonial Virginia. This is an economic history of the wealthy landowners, plantation owners that formed the company to make the swamp profitable at a time when hemp was in high demand for the shipbuilding industry (ropes). Later products will include lumber and shingles. It is clear that much of the success of that company was due to slave labor as each shareholder provided some slaves for the effort. Royster puts names and faces to the Mercantile System using Virginia to explain how it operated and impacted both the Colonies and England. Special focus is put on the slave trade from Africa to the Americas. All this is within the context of conflict with England both economic and on the battlefield. While the book revolves around the Dismal Swamp Land Company in the end, most of the focus is on the personal lives of the shareholders and their heirs in Colonial America, Antigua, and England. Very little in fact deals with the early development of the Federal City known as Washington, D. C. Not a fabulous story as the title suggests but an interesting read.

[Ian Lindstrom · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has all the fascinating histories; the families, lineages, money and influences. So much land and so many takers. Exciting topic, especially for those who visit the region.
Unfortunately for me (for the writing is detailed and deeply researched) I could not finish this book. I feel that with enough background on the topic I /might/ enjoy this book. Unless you're prepared for this topic it may leave you high and dry. "Fabulous History" could not excite my imagination except for short bursts where certain families, names and locations I had already in my memory.
The writing flows from one person and family to another, from one instance of history to another so quickly that it was frustrating. I was constantly getting lost in the mesh of marriages and/or political relations. Reminded me of a high school history book which gives either too much detail or not enough but in the end no connection personally to the material.
That said, I want to try and finish this book in the future. It has a lot of value but I don't think I'm ready for such dull reading yet.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of The Dismal Swamp Company... envisioned by William Byrd in the early 17th century. While Byrds vision did come to pass, it was not nearly as easy as he made it sound. Progress was impeded by the American Revolution, territorial disputes, and ever-changing financial markets. By the time real profits were made, the original investors were long gone.

I initially picked up this book to learn more about what life was like along the Virginia/North Carolina line during this era. I was able to learn much about the events and circumstances of these times.

[Kevin Moynihan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was amazed at the amount of debt folks took on. Also, how important marriage was at that time. Can be read as an economic study of the era. Amazing amount of material on insurance and Lloyd's of London.

[Laura Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dense read, to be sure, but worthwhile just for the story of the Dickensian-esque miser Samuel Gist — and for groan-worthy lines like “Reports from Dismal Plantation were gloomy.”

[Antoine · Rating 1 out of 5]

not finish, boring

[Howard Mansfield · Rating 2 out of 5]

In The Fabulous History of the Dismal Swamp Company, Royster has given us a forest of scheming and enslaving Virginians. They covet land, and leverage debt and petition the crown to get as much as they can without toppling their estates. The acreage from the land grants, land deals and patents is the book’s odometer. The acres spin by: 5000, 15,000, 100,000, 200,000 acres. The Virginians hold a paper empire in deeds and a cultivated empire in river houses and plantations, as well as a rougher frontier empire of blazed and felled trees and muddy roads. And all of it, every scrap of wealth, is built on slavery.
The whole story Royster is telling, a sort of group portrait of Virginians with land, may reside in one paragraph about Robert “King” Carter. He piled up 300,000 acres, much of it by granting it to himself and his relations, and by fees and trades. Carter led his generation in acquisition. The lesson wasn’t lost on young George Washington. Then his 20’s, he realized that great fortunes were made by buying up the “back Lands.”

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book that got me interested in reading history after having left school. It is truly Fabulous. VERY dense and took me a long time to get through, but well researched, engaging and informative. It really gave me a new perspective on Colonial America. Watch out for Samuel Gist. I just kept wanting that man to die!