Since Colonial times, fishermen have netted
legions of herring, shad and striped bass during
the fishes’ spring spawning runs into freshwater
rivers. These tributaries also served as pathways
of trade, through which timber, fish, tobacco,
corn and animal hides left the thriving port of Eden -
ton. The town’s origins are traced as far back as 1655,
making Edenton the first permanent settlement in North
Carolina. Historians believe home steaders traveled south from the
Jamestown, Va., area to settle the mouth of the Chowan River.
Before European settlement, the Chowan River was home to Algonkian
Indians, who lived for centuries on the riverbanks— the Weapemeoc
on the west shore, the Chowanoke on the east. They, too, fished the
bountiful waters and farmed the fertile soils.
The waters of the basin are still known for some of the best fishing
in the state. Largemouth bass, bluegill, chain pickerel, black crappie,
sunfish, perch and herring are the most sought- after species. The
Chowan River is often called the capital of the “ river herring” fishery.
T he Chowan River Basin is a region of vast hardwood swamps and tea- colored rivers.
It is a place where fish were once currency and rivers were once highways.
Total miles of
streams and rivers:
803
Total acres of
estuary: 16,970
Municipalities
within basin: 19
Counties
within basin: 5
Size: 1,378
square miles
Population:
61,034
( 2000 U. S. Census)
profile:
CHOWANRIVER
BASIN
Bobcat
Cypress trees on
Chowan River
( below and left)
Va
BILL LEA
BILL LEA
CHARLES BRASWELL JR.