Merchants Millpond State Park
Encyclopedia
Merchants Millpond State Park is a North Carolina state park in Gates County
, North Carolina
in the United States
. Located near Gatesville, North Carolina
, it covers 3,250 acres (13 km²) around a 200 year old, 700 acre (2.8 km²) millpond and Lassiter Swamp. The park also contains a large cypress swamp. Canoeing is one of the park's major attractions. Alligators
live in Merchants Millpond State Park (Merchant's Millpond is the northernmost extent of the American Alligator's habitat.) Merchants Millpond State Park is located in North Carolina's Coastal Plain.
Shortly before World War II
operations around the millpond came to a halt and millers sold the land to developers. In the 1960s, A.B. Coleman of Moyock purchased the property and later donated 919 acres (3.7 km²), including the millpond, to the state. His generous donation led to the establishment of Merchants Millpond State Park in 1973. In the same year, the Nature Conservancy contributed an additional 925 acres (3.7 km²) of woodlands to the park that now encompasses more than 3250 acres (13.2 km²).
Gates County, North Carolina
Gates County is a small rural county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2010, the population was 12,197. Its county seat is Gatesville. It is part of the Albemarle Sound area of the Inner Banks...
, 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...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Located near Gatesville, North Carolina
Gatesville, North Carolina
Gatesville is a town in Gates County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 312 at the 2008 census. It is the county seat of Gates County.-Geography:Gatesville is located at ....
, it covers 3,250 acres (13 km²) around a 200 year old, 700 acre (2.8 km²) millpond and Lassiter Swamp. The park also contains a large cypress swamp. Canoeing is one of the park's major attractions. Alligators
American Alligator
The American alligator , sometimes referred to colloquially as a gator, is a reptile endemic only to the Southeastern United States. It is one of the two living species of alligator, in the genus Alligator, within the family Alligatoridae...
live in Merchants Millpond State Park (Merchant's Millpond is the northernmost extent of the American Alligator's habitat.) Merchants Millpond State Park is located in North Carolina's Coastal Plain.
History
Settlement in the Gates County area began in 1660. Residents of early rural communities made a living by farming and lumbering. In the early 18th century, Hunters Millpond was built at the head of Bennetts Creek to provide a means of processing and marketing regional produce. Highway construction destroyed this millpond in 1922. But further downstream, Norfleets Millpond, which was built in 1811, thrived. Gristmills, a sawmill, a farm supply store and other enterprises made the area the center of trade in Gates County. Thus, the pond became known as Merchants Millpond.Shortly before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
operations around the millpond came to a halt and millers sold the land to developers. In the 1960s, A.B. Coleman of Moyock purchased the property and later donated 919 acres (3.7 km²), including the millpond, to the state. His generous donation led to the establishment of Merchants Millpond State Park in 1973. In the same year, the Nature Conservancy contributed an additional 925 acres (3.7 km²) of woodlands to the park that now encompasses more than 3250 acres (13.2 km²).