The Blackwater River of southeastern

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

flows from its source near the city of

Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines Petersburg (along with the city of Colonial Heights) with Din ...

for about 105 miles (170 km) through the Inner Coastal Plain region of Virginia (part of the

Atlantic Coastal Plain The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...

). The Blackwater joins the

Nottoway River The Nottoway River is a river in the U.S. state, U.S. State of Virginia and northeastern North Carolina that is 155 miles (249 kilometers) in length. The river begins in Prince Edward County, Virginia, Prince Edward County and merges with the Bla ...

to form the

Chowan River The Chowan River (cho-WAHHN)
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

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 Currituck Banks, a ba ...

. The Blackwater-Nottoway confluence forms the boundary between Virginia and

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

Overview

The Blackwater River is a true

blackwater river A blackwater river is a type of river with a slow-moving channel flowing through forested swamps or wetlands. As vegetation decays, tannins leach into the water, making a transparent, acidic water that is darkly stained, resembling black te ...

. Its water is clear, dark, slightly acidic, and tannin stained. Its

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...

contains many

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

s. The river's

flood plain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...

is mostly forested and swampy, including

bald cypress ''Taxodium distichum'' (bald cypress, swamp cypress; french: cyprès chauve; ''cipre'' in Louisiana) is a deciduous conifer in the family Cupressaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States. Hardy and tough, this tree adapts to a wide r ...

and

tupelo Tupelo , genus ''Nyssa'' , is a small genus of deciduous trees with alternate, simple leaves. It is sometimes included in the subfamily Nyssoideae of the dogwood family, Cornaceae, but is placed by other authorities in the family Nyssaceae. In ...

swamp forests. The upper Blackwater River is called Blackwater Swamp. In this region of Virginia, many streams are called "swamps" but still function like streams in being long and linear, with water moving from one end to the other and laid out in a normal stream tributary network. In contrast, some of the region's wetlands are not streams, such as the bog-like

pocosin A pocosin is a type of palustrine wetland with deep, acidic, sandy, peat soils. Groundwater saturates the soil except during brief seasonal dry spells and during prolonged droughts. Pocosin soils are nutrient-deficient (oligotrophic), especially ...

s found on the higher land between swamp-stream drainages. The Blackwater River was a transportation route in the 17th and 18th centuries, connecting the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...

settlements with the Albemarle Settlements. It was one of the few rivers of colonial Virginia that did not empty into Chesapeake Bay yet lay close to the colony's oldest settlements on the

James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...

. Settlements in the Blackwater's drainage basin were founded very early in Virginia's history. As a result, the Blackwater River became one of the early migration routes southward from the James River into the region then called Southside Virginia, and beyond into the Albemarle District of Carolina (later

). Today's usual definition of

Southside Southside or South Side may refer to: Places Australia * Southside, Queensland, a semi-rural locality in the Gympie Region Canada * South Side, Newfoundland and Labrador, a community in the St. George's Bay area on the southwest coast of New ...

differs somewhat from that of colonial times.

Course

The Blackwater River originates in several swamps within, or just south of, the city of Petersburg. It flows southeast through

Prince George County Prince George County is a county (United States), county located in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 43,010. Its county seat is Prince George, Virginia ...

, where it is called Blackwater Swamp. It then forms part of the border between Surry County and Sussex County, where its name becomes Blackwater River. It collects

tributaries A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage b ...

called Warwick Swamp, Otterdam Swamp, Coppahaunk Swamp, and Cypress Swamp. In southern Surry County, the Blackwater River turns south and forms the border between

Isle of Wight County Isle of Wight County is a county located in the Hampton Roads region of the U.S. state of Virginia. It was named after the Isle of Wight, England, south of the Solent, from where many of its early colonists had come. As of the 2020 census, th ...

and

Southampton County Southampton County is a county located on the southern border of the Commonwealth of Virginia. North Carolina is to the south. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,996. Its county seat is Courtland. History In the early 17th centur ...

. It collects tributaries called Terrapin Swamp, Antioch Swamp, Seacock Swamp, Corrowaugh Swamp, and Kingsale Swamp. The city of

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

lies on its west bank at the river's

head of navigation The head of navigation is the farthest point above the mouth of a river that can be navigated by ships. Determining the head of navigation can be subjective on many streams, as the point may vary greatly with the size or the draft of the ship be ...

. While canoes and other small boats plied the Blackwater upstream of Franklin in colonial times (and still do today), in the steamboat era, navigation was restricted to the river downstream of Franklin. South of Franklin, the Blackwater River forms the border between Southampton County and

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

. About nine miles (14 km) south of Franklin, on the border between Virginia and North Carolina, the Blackwater River is joined by the Nottoway River, forming the Chowan River, which continues south to Albemarle Sound. The boundary between Virginia and North Carolina runs west from the Atlantic Ocean, striking the Blackwater River about a half mile (1 km) north of the confluence with the Nottoway River. From there the state line follows the Blackwater River south to the confluence, then continues west. The watershed of the Blackwater River contains a portion of three cities and five counties of Virginia: the cities of Franklin, Petersburg, and Suffolk, and the counties of Isle of Wight, Prince George, Southampton, Surry, and Sussex.

Natural history

The Blackwater River is, as its name implies, a

— its waters are clear, dark, acidic, low in nutrients, and tannin stained. Several environmental factors cause the blackwater condition. The many forested wetlands along the river include Streamhead Pocosins and Bald Cypress and Tupelo Swamps. The Blackwater is known for its

s, including the rare type called streamhead pocosin. The only two streamhead pocosins known in Virginia are on the Blackwater River. Bald Cypress and Tupelo Swamps occur along many streams of the

. Most were logged, thus old-growth examples are rare. The Blackwater River Preserve protects one of the oldest bald cypress and tupelo swamp forests in the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

, with trees up to 800 years old. The largest known water tupelo in the United States, according to the National Register of Big Trees, is in Isle of Wight County. It stands tall with a circumference of . Another stand of old-growth bald cypress and tupelo forest, known as Dendron Swamp, was recently designated a Natural Area Preserve by the Virginia Department of Conservation of Recreation. Another rare type of forest found along the Blackwater River is a type called

Longleaf Pine The longleaf pine (''Pinus palustris'') is a pine species native to the Southeastern United States, found along the coastal plain from East Texas to southern Virginia, extending into northern and central Florida. In this area it is also known as ...

and Mixed Pine

Flatwoods Flatwoods, pineywoods, pine savannas and longleaf pine-wiregrass ecosystem are terms that refer to an ecological community in the southeastern coastal plain of North America. Flatwoods are an ecosystem maintained by wildfire or prescribed fire an ...

. The forests were once common in southeastern Virginia, but today are restricted, in Virginia, to a few small sites on the east side of the Blackwater River. Near the town of

Zuni, Virginia Zuni () is an unincorporated community in Isle of Wight County in the Hampton Roads region of southeastern Virginia in the United States. Zuni is home to a general store, a gas station, a small engine repair shop and two churches and is served b ...

, one stand is protected by the Blackwater Ecological Preserve. The

Red-cockaded woodpecker The red-cockaded woodpecker (''Leuconotopicus borealis'') is a woodpecker endemic to the southeastern United States. Description The red-cockaded woodpecker is small to mid-sized species, being intermediate in size between North America's two ...

is endemic to the flatwoods ecosystem and the Blackwater River is the northern range of this woodpecker. Many species of reptiles and amphibians depend on the long leaf pine ecosystem. The Blackwater River is one of the few locations in Virginia that has over thirty species of amphibians. The many old forests and wetlands along the Blackwater River have made it popular for recreational canoeing.

Fishing

The Blackwater originates as a coastal plain swamp in Prince George County. It flows east through braided channels of bald cypress and tupelo in Surry County. The river then turns south into Southampton County where several boat ramps are accessible for anglers, hunters and boaters alike. The Blackwater then joins with the Nottoway to form the Chowan at the Virginia-North Carolina state line. On any one trip you can see whitetail deer, numerous waterfowl, raccoons, squirrels and many unique reptile and amphibian species, not to mention a healthy fish population swimming under the water's surface. The dark, tannin stained waters of the Blackwater River host runs of striped bass, river herring (alewives and blueback), American and hickory shad in the spring. Angling for redbreast sunfish ("red throats" or "red robins") is also quite good in the spring. The river also hosts largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, flier, and chain pickerel populations. Bowfin and gar are common in the lower main stem. Angling for bowfin provides a great opportunity to catch many hard-fighting fish in a short amount of time. The possibility also exists to land a trophy bowfin over ten pounds.

Canoeing and kayaking

Recreational opportunities are limited to some bridge crossings, state boat ramps, and canoe access areas. No permits are required. Boat ramps can be found at Routes 611 (Joyner's Bridge Rd) and 603 off Route 258 in Isle of Wight County. A new double-lane boat ramp with paved parking will be open in the City of Franklin in the spring of 2007. Canoe access can be found off of Rt. 619 (Burdette), Rt. 189 (S. Quay), and Rt. 620 (Broadwater Br.), but beware of vehicle parking restrictions. If you are putting in at Rt. 620 speak with landowner across the street.

Colonial and later history

In 1646, after two years of war between the

Virginia colony The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colonial empire, English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertG ...

and the

Powhatan The Powhatan people (; also spelled Powatan) may refer to any of the indigenous Algonquian people that are traditionally from eastern Virginia. All of the Powhatan groups descend from the Powhatan Confederacy. In some instances, The Powhatan ...

confederation, a peace treaty was agreed to by the leaders of the two sides (Governor William Berkeley and Chief

Necotowance Necotowance (c. Unknown birth year - died before 1655) was Werowance (chief) of the Pamunkey Native American tribes in Virginia, tribe and Paramount Chief of the Powhatan Confederacy after Opechancanough, from 1646 until his death sometime before 16 ...

). The treaty set the boundary between Virginia and

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

lands at the lower Blackwater River (or Blackwater Swamp) up to its head at "Yapim" (modern Franklin), and thence in a directly straight line to the " Monacan town" (Mowhemencho, at the eastern tip of Powhatan County). Native Americans were only allowed to cross this line at the newly built Fort Henry on the Appomattox, where Petersburg now is, and they had to display a special badge, without which they could be killed on the spot, or after 1662, arrested. By the late 17th century, some settlers from Virginia were crossing the Blackwater-Ft. Henry-Monacan town boundary, and settling in territory of Indian tribes such as the

Appomattoc The Appomattoc (also spelled Appamatuck, Apamatic, and numerous other variants) were a historic tribe of Virginia Indians speaking an Algonquian language, and residing along the lower Appomattox River, in the area of what is now Petersburg, Col ...

and the Nottoway. The government of Virginia repeatedly ordered such people to return northeast of this line, and would not allow the land beyond to be surveyed for

land grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

s. In 1685, the

House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses was the elected representative element of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative body of the Colony of Virginia. With the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1642, the General Assembly, which had been established ...

asked Governor Howard for permission to grant some land south of the Blackwater River. The governor denied the request. According to a petition by the colonial government of Virginia made to the King, dated May 1, 1688, the Tributary Indians, who still legally owned the land west of the line, allegedly asked for settlers to move into their territory. The reason for the request was said to be fear of invasion by larger, non-Tributary tribes, in light of their own dwindling numbers, besides that "Such large Tracts of Land are of noe benefit nor use unto them". However, King William and Queen Mary wanted the moratorium on patents extended, and in 1691, another order was given demanding all settlers south of the river to return north. By 1706, the Blackwater boundary law was revoked and settlements south of the river or west of the line became legal. Transportation in early colonial Virginia was usually done by water. The many wide

estuaries An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

and

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

s made land transport difficult, especially when moving goods. Migration and settlement patterns thus tended to follow the rivers, most of which flowed from the west and emptied into

. The Blackwater River was an exception. It flowed south to Albemarle Sound. The Blackwater's headwaters were close to the main settlements along the James River (some within three miles). By the early 18th century, Virginians were living along the upper Blackwater River and using the river for travel and transportation. The political authority of Virginia was centered on Chesapeake Bay. Most of the other rivers used for travel in Virginia at the time emptied into the bay, which helped Virginia's government control the colony's affairs. The settlers using the Blackwater River, however, were drawn away from Chesapeake Bay to the relatively lawless settlements of Albemarle Bay. This played a role in the emerging "southside" society, as the region "south of the James River" became known. As early as 1713 a place called South Quay six and a half miles downriver from Franklin was becoming an important trade port. By 1777 South Quay was known as the leading interior port to the Tidewater area. Large warehouses were storing tobacco, pork and other goods for export and import. The South Quay venture eventually also became a shipyard and built two ships, the ''Caswell'' and the ''Washington'', that helped defend the coast from the British fleet in 1777/78. On July 16, 1781, English Lieutenant Colonel Dundas was dispatched by

Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805), styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as the Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army general and official. In the United S ...

to destroy South Quay,Beatson, Robert (1804). ''Naval and Military Memoirs of Great Britain'', Vol. V, p. 250. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees and Orme. ending the commercial activity of what today is called Old South Quay. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, the Blackwater River was for a time the dividing line between

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

-occupied territory and Confederate Virginia. The boundary was not well defended, allowing thousands of "contrabands" (as the

slaves Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

were called during the war) the chance to flee east out of Southampton County, across the Blackwater River and into freedom.

Flooding

Because the Blackwater River drains a large area of southern Virginia east of the Atlantic Seaboard Fall Line, when heavy rainfall occurs throughout the area, severe flooding occasionally occurs at several points as the large volume of water flows downstream. Critical points of such flooding have been near Zuni along

U.S. Route 460 U.S. Route 460 (US 460) is a spur route of U.S. Route 60. It currently runs for 655 miles (1,054 km) from Norfolk, Virginia, at its parent route U.S. Route 60 at Ocean View to Frankfort, Kentucky, intersecting its parent route once ...

, and in the

independent city An independent city or independent town is a city or town that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity (such as a province). Historical precursors In the Holy Roman Empire, and to a degree in its successor states ...

, which borders Southampton County and Isle of Wight County. Unlike the marshy areas upstream, at these points the river's channel is limited, and flood stages can be reached very quickly. This occurred during

Hurricane Floyd Hurricane Floyd was a very powerful Cape Verde hurricane which struck the Bahamas and the East Coast of the United States. It was the sixth named storm, fourth hurricane, and third major hurricane in the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season. Floyd tr ...

in 1999, and again in October 2006, after an unnamed Nor'-Easter storm dumped 10 inches (25 cm) of rain on the region.

References

#Kennedy, Philip Pendleton."The Blackwater Chronicle: a narrative of an expedition into the land of Canaan in Randolph County, Virginia" Morgantown : West Virginia University Press, 2002. Web.

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20060718182754/http://www.nature.org/pressroom/ip/about/virginia.html *https://web.archive.org/web/20060806164111/http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/virginia/preserves/ *https://web.archive.org/web/20060810172405/http://www.dcr.state.va.us/dnh/ *https://web.archive.org/web/20060716050052/http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/dnh/dendron.htm *https://web.archive.org/web/20110720010249/http://www.cecer.army.mil/techreports/Tra_peat.wpd/Tra_peat-04.htm#P199_14402 *http://sciway3.net/clark/gill/vaheadright.html *http://www.virginiaplaces.org/regions/14southside.html *https://web.archive.org/web/20050908111946/http://web.ukonline.co.uk/lordcornell/iwhr/va/iwc.htm {{authority control Rivers of Virginia Borders of Virginia Borders of North Carolina Rivers of North Carolina Rivers of Isle of Wight County, Virginia Bodies of water of Poquoson, Virginia Rivers of Prince George County, Virginia Bodies of water of Surry County, Virginia Bodies of water of Sussex County, Virginia Rivers of Southampton County, Virginia Rivers of Suffolk, Virginia Tributaries of Albemarle Sound