Gholson Bridge, Spanning Meherrin River at VA State Route 715, Lawrenceville vicinity (Brunswick County, Virginia)

The Meherrin River is a long 6th order tributary to the

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

Hertford County, North Carolina Hertford County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,552. Its county seat is Winton. It is classified within the region known in the 21st century as the Inner Banks. History H ...

. A twenty-foot-high dam on the river creates a reservoir in Emporia. For most of its length, the Meherrin is not large enough for commercial traffic. It widens somewhat between

Murfreesboro, North Carolina Murfreesboro is a town in Hertford County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,835 at the 2010 census. The town is home to Chowan University. Geography Murfreesboro is located in northwestern Hertford County at (36.440983, -77.0 ...

and the Chowan. Prior to 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 ...

, this section of the river was a significant trading route for

Northeastern North Carolina The Inner Banks is a neologism made up by developers and tourism promoters to describe the inland coastal region of eastern North Carolina. Without historical precedent, the term "Inner Banks" is an early 21st-century construct that is part of a ...

. The river was named after the

Meherrin The Meherrin Nation (autonym: Kauwets'a:ka, "People of the Water") is one of seven state-recognized nations of Native Americans in North Carolina. They reside in rural northeastern North Carolina, near the river of the same name on the Virgini ...

Indians, whose territory was along it.

Variant names

According to the

Geographic Names Information System The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...

, it has also been known historically as: *Maherine River *Maherrin River *Mehearin River *Meherin River *Pochike River *Wayanock *Woodford River

Course

The Meherrin River is formed at the confluence of the South Meherrin River and North Meherrin River at Reekes Mill, Virginia, and then flows southeasterly into

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 ...

to join the

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

Watershed

The Meherrin River drains of area, receives about 46.3 in/year of precipitation, has a wetness index of 495.22, and is about 46% forested.

References

Rivers of North Carolina Rivers of Virginia Rivers of Southampton County, Virginia Bodies of water of Greensville County, Virginia Bodies of water of Hertford County, North Carolina Tributaries of Albemarle Sound {{NorthCarolina-river-stub

Variant names

Course

Watershed

See also

References