Merchants Millpond State Park

Merchants Millpond State Park is a North Carolina state park in Gates County, North Carolina, in the United States. Located near Gatesville, in North Carolina's coastal plain, it covers 3,519 acres (14.24 km2)[2] around a 200-year-old, 700-acre (280 ha) millpond and Lassiter Swamp. Canoeing is one of the park's major attractions. Alligators live in its large cypress swamps.

Merchants Millpond State Park
IUCN category III (natural monument or feature)
Cypress trees at Merchants Millpond State Park
Location of Merchants Millpond State Park in North Carolina
LocationGates, North Carolina, United States
Coordinates36°26′14″N 76°41′04″W[1]
Area3,519 acres (14.24 km2)[2]
Elevation36 ft (11 m)
Established1973
Governing bodyNorth Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation
Websitewww.ncparks.gov/merchants-millpond-state-park

History

Settlement in the Gates County area began in 1660. Residents of early rural communities made a living by farming and lumbering. In the early 18th century, Hunters Millpond was built at the head of Bennetts Creek to provide a means of processing and marketing regional produce. Highway construction destroyed this millpond in 1922. But further downstream, Norfleets Millpond, which was built in 1811, thrived. Gristmills, a sawmill, a farm supply store and other enterprises made the area the center of trade in Gates County. Thus, the pond became known as Merchants Millpond.

Shortly before World War II operations around the millpond came to a halt and millers sold the land to developers. In the 1960s, A.B. Coleman of Moyock purchased the property and later donated 919 acres (3.72 km2), including the millpond, to the state. His generous donation led to the establishment of Merchants Millpond State Park in 1973. In the same year, the Nature Conservancy contributed an additional 925 acres (3.74 km2) of woodlands to the park that now encompasses more than 3,250 acres (13.2 km2).

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References
  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Merchants Millpond State Park
  2. "Size of the North Carolina State Parks System" (XLS). North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation. January 1, 2019. Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
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