From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Waterway in North Carolina, United States
The
Pasquotank River
[1]
is a coastal water-body in Northeastern
North Carolina
in the
United States
. Located between
Camden
and
Pasquotank
counties, the Pasquotank connects directly to
Albemarle Sound
and is part of the
Intracoastal Waterway
via
Elizabeth City
.
Machelhe Island
is a
river island
on the Pasquotank River.
[2]
History
[
edit
]
The name "Pasquotank" is derived from
pashetanki
, a
Carolina Algonquian
word translated as "where the current forks." The river was originally controlled by the
Secotan
people, and later gained importance in trade and shipping during the
colonial period of North Carolina
.
The
Battle of Elizabeth City
was fought on the Pasquotank River where a small Confederate fleet was sunk in defense of the City. The Confederate ships sunk on the Pasquotank River in the battle were the
CSS Black Warrior
,
CSS Fanny
,
CSS Sea Bird
, and the
CSS Appomattox
.
Some principal industries along the Pasquotank were transport, logging, and oyster harvesting. Since the twentieth century, the commercial viability of the river has declined, as more traffic uses the
Intracoastal Waterway
by way of
Coinjock
. The river is now primarily frequented by pleasure boaters.
References
[
edit
]
North Carolina State Library. July 1997. “County History.” North Carolina Encyclopedia.
[1]
Archived
2005-11-01 at the
Wayback Machine
18 Nov. 2000.
External links
[
edit
]
36°9′26″N
76°1′51″W
/
36.15722°N 76.03083°W
/
36.15722; -76.03083