Scuppernong Shore

Along Route 64 on the way to Manteo and south of the not-so-bustling town of Creswell, Pettigrew State Park is located along the shore of Lake Phelps, the second largest natural lake in North Carolina. 5 miles across and 7 miles wide, the deepest point in the lake is only 9 feet.

Along with the other North Carolina bays, scientists aren’t sure exactly how the lake was formed, but its age has been estimated at 38,000 years old.  Archeologists have also found Native American canoes, pottery, and arrowheads dating back to 8,000 BC.

The lake was once called Scuppernong, an Algonquian word meaning “the place where magnolias grow.” Scuppernong grapes were once plentiful as well and grew along the shore.

I visited in late Spring and hiked the Bee Tree and Bonarva trails. The soil is jet black, which makes the clean rain water appear very dark. Like most all of the coastal lakes in NC, there are many cypresses growing from the waters edge. I hope the photograph above captures the unique shapes and textures of the setting.

As usual, I also stopped along the way and photographed the farmland.  A series of canals were dug by slaves owned by an English immigrant who developed the Somerset Plantation next to the lake. If you’d like to learn about this sad part of the history of the area, I’ve written an additional blog post called the Thirty-Foot Canal.