The Eno River, named for the Eno Native Americans who once lived along its banks, is the initial

tributary 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 ...

of the

Neuse River The Neuse River ( , Tuscarora: Neyuherú·kęʔkì·nęʔ) 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 No ...

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 ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Descendants of European immigrants settled along the Eno River in the latter 1740s and early 1750s, including many

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

from Pennsylvania. Several years after the 1752 creation of

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

, the Orange County Court of Common Pleas & Quarter Sessions selected a site along the Eno River near the homes of James Watson and William Reed as the county seat, originally naming it ''Corbin Town'', or ''Corbinton,'' after Francis Corbin, agent and attorney to John, Earl Granville. The Court met at James Watson's home along the Eno River from 1754 through 1756, when the courthouse at Corbinton was completed. In 1759, officials changed the county seat's name from ''Corbinton'' to ''Childsburg,'' after another of Earl Granville's agents, Thomas Child. Finally, in 1766, officials changed the name to '' Hillsborough.'' The Eno rises in

. The river's watershed occupies most of Orange and

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

counties. The Eno converges with the

Flat Flat or flats may refer to: Architecture * Flat (housing), an apartment in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and other Commonwealth countries Arts and entertainment * Flat (music), a symbol () which denotes a lower pitch * Flat (soldier), ...

and

Little Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt * ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film *The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...

Rivers to form the Neuse at

Falls Lake Falls Lake is a 12,410 acre (50 km²) reservoir located in Durham, Wake, and Granville counties in North Carolina, United States. Falls Lake extends up the Neuse River to its source at the confluence of the Eno, Little, and Flat rivers. ...

, which straddles Durham and Wake counties. The Eno is notable for its beauty and

water quality Water quality refers to the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of water based on the standards of its usage. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which compliance, generally achieved through tr ...

, which has been preserved through aggressive citizen efforts. Though barely more than forty miles from its source to its convergence at the Neuse, the Eno features significant stretches of natural preservation. Through the combined efforts of the North Carolina State Parks System, local government, and private non-profit preservation groups, over of land have been protected in the Eno Basin, including

Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area is a North Carolina state park in Orange County, North Carolina in the United States. Located adjacent to the town of Hillsborough, it covers and includes Occoneechee Mountain, the highest point (867 ...

Eno River State Park Eno River State Park is a North Carolina state park in Durham and Orange Counties, North Carolina. Together with the adjoining West Point on the Eno city park, the two parks preserve over 14 miles (22.5 km) of the Eno River and surroun ...

West Point on the Eno West Point on the Eno is a city park and historical center covering in Durham, Durham County, North Carolina. Several historical structures are conserved on the site: * West Point Mill - a reproduction colonial-era mill that is now a museum. ...

City Park), and Penny's Bend State Nature Preserve (managed by the

North Carolina Botanical Garden The North Carolina Botanical Garden (about , plus of nature preserves) is a botanical garden operated by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The primary goal of the Garden is to research, catalog, a ...

). The river is paralleled in the town of Hillsborough by several miles of the paved Riverwalk Trail, a segment of the North Carolina

Mountains-to-Sea Trail The Mountains-to-Sea State Trail (MST) is a long-distance trail for hiking and backpacking, that traverses North Carolina from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks. The trail's western endpoint is at Clingman's Dome, where it connects ...

. Permitted recreational activities include swimming, hiking, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and backcountry camping. Individual and group campsites are available. Photographer, Holden Richards, captured the natural beauty of the Eno River in his 2021 book ''Riverwalk: A Decade Along the Eno.''

References

External links

Eno River AssociationEno River State ParkOcconeechee Mountain State Natural AreaPenny's Bend State Nature Preserve
{{authority control Rivers of Durham County, North Carolina Rivers of Orange County, North Carolina Rivers of North Carolina Research Triangle Tributaries of Pamlico Sound

See also

References

External links