The Meherrin River is a 92-mile (148 km) long river in the U.S. states of Virginia and North Carolina. It begins in central Virginia, about 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Emporia, and flows roughly east-southeast into North Carolina, where it joins the larger Chowan River.
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 and the Chowan. Prior to the American Civil War, this section of the river was a significant trading route for Northeastern North Carolina.
The river was named after the Meherrin Indians, whose territory was along it.
Famous quotes containing the word river:
“I cannot tell how many times we had to walk on account of falls or rapids. We were expecting all the while that the river would take a final leap and get to smooth water, but there was no improvement this forenoon.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)