Chowan River
Encyclopedia
Blackwater river
A blackwater river is a river with a deep, slow-moving channel that flows through forested swamps and wetlands. As vegetation decays in the water, tannins are leached out, resulting in transparent, acidic water that is darkly stained, resembling tea or coffee. Most major blackwater rivers are in...
formed with the merging of Virginia's Blackwater
Blackwater River (Chowan River)
The Blackwater River of southeastern Virginia flows from its source near the city of Petersburg, Virginia for about 105 miles through the Inner Coastal Plain region of Virginia . The Blackwater joins the Nottoway River to form the Chowan River, which empties into Albemarle Sound...
and Nottoway
Nottoway River
The Nottoway River is in southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. It is part of the Chowan River system, which flows into Albemarle Sound in North Carolina.-Cities and towns:Cities and towns along the river include:* Courtland, Virginia...
rivers near the stateline between Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
and North Carolina. According to the USGS a variant name is Choan River.
Flowing for approximately 50 miles (80 km) before ending in the Albemarle Sound
Albemarle Sound
Albemarle Sound is a large estuary on the coast of North Carolina in the United States located at the confluence of a group of rivers, including the Chowan and Roanoke. It is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Outer Banks, a long barrier peninsula upon which the town of Kitty Hawk is located,...
on North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
's coast, the river drains about 4800 square miles (12,431.9 km²) of land in North Carolina and Virginia. Flowing through mostly swamp land with occasional high ground, the Chowan River grows to nearly two miles wide (3 km) at its opening to the Albemarle Sound. The river offers excellent fishing for catfish and largemouth bass. While tidal, the variation in tide heights in the Chowan River are normally less than one foot (30 cm) between high and low tide.
The Eden House bridge on US Route 17 marks the border between the Chowan River and Albemarle Sound.
Significant tributaries include Bonds Creek, the Meherrin River
Meherrin River
The Meherrin River is a long river in the U.S. states of Virginia and North Carolina. It begins in central Virginia, about northwest of Emporia, and flows roughly east-southeast into North Carolina, where it joins the larger Chowan River....
, Bennett's Creek (which connects the Chowan River with Merchant's Millpond State Park), and the Wiccacon River.
The river featured prominently in the Civil War in the region. As part of the Union plan to destroy the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad
Wilmington and Weldon Railroad
Originally chartered in 1835 as the Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad, the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad name began use in 1855. At the time of its 1840 completion, the line was the longest railroad in the world with 161.5 miles of track...
, Union ships sailed up the Chowan river, bombarding small Confederate posts outside of Harrellsville, North Carolina
Harrellsville, North Carolina
Harrellsville is a town in Hertford County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 102 at the year 2000 census.-Geography:Harrellsville is located at ....
(at Deep Creek, also known as Swain's Mill Creek) and outside of Cofield, North Carolina
Cofield, North Carolina
Cofield is a village in Hertford County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 347 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Cofield is located at ....
(at Petty's Shore, where an old bunker is still visible in the landscape). By the time the ships reached Winton, North Carolina
Winton, North Carolina
Winton is a town in Hertford County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 956 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hertford County.-Geography:Winton is located at ....
, the local troops had been alerted to the oncoming ships. Hiding in the woods near the dock for an ambush, the Conderate battalion at Winton sent a slave girl down to the Union boats to tell them that the locals had fled in fear of a Union attack. The ambush was foiled, however, when a Union soldier saw the gleam of the sun on a musket barrel in the woods. The Union ships quickly pulled anchor, regrouped, and returned minutes later to burn Winton to the ground. That same Union fleet would go on to land at Murfreesboro, North Carolina
Murfreesboro, North Carolina
Murfreesboro is a town in Hertford County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,045 at the 2000 census. Murfreesboro is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region.-Geography:Murfreesboro is located at ....
(via the Meherrin River) and march west to the railroad at Weldon.
The Chowan River is one of the three oldest surviving English place-names in the U.S. Along with Roanoke Island
Roanoke Island
Roanoke Island is an island in Dare County near the coast of North Carolina, United States. It was named after the historical Roanoke Carolina Algonquian people who inhabited the area in the 16th century at the time of English exploration....
and the Neuse River
Neuse River
The Neuse River is a river rising in the Piedmont of North Carolina and emptying into Pamlico Sound below New Bern. Its total length is approximately , making it the longest river entirely contained in North Carolina. The Trent River joins it at New Bern. Its drainage basin, measuring in area,...
, it was named in 1584 by Captains Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe
Arthur Barlowe
Arthur Barlowe was one of two British captains who, under the direction of Sir Walter Raleigh, left England in 1584 to find land in North America to claim for Queen Elizabeth I of England. His survives in a letter written to Raleigh as a report on their journey...
, sent to explore the region by Sir Walter Raleigh. Their "Chowanook", or Chowanoke
Chowanoke
The Chowanoke, also spelled Chowanoc, was an Algonquian-language American Indian tribe. They were the largest and most powerful Algonquian tribe in present-day North Carolina, occupying most or all of the coastal banks of the Chowan River in the northeastern part of the state at time of the first...
, name was shortened to Chowan.