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THE OUTDOORS
SCUBA DIVING, SPEARFISHING, KAYAKING
210 Budleigh Street,
Manteo, NC 27954 |
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Merchants Mill Pond
October 9 & 10, 2010 $199 per person Called an "enchanted forest," this park boasts primitive species of fish relatively unchanged over millions of years, towering bald cypress trees with massive trunks, luxuriant growths of Spanish moss. Coastal pond, southern swamp forest and upland forest mingle, creating one of North Carolina's rarest ecological communities haven for wildlife. Numerous species of aquatic plants, such as the floating yellow cow lily and the submerged coontail, thrive in the pond. A red and green layer of floating duckweeds and water fern often covers the water's surface. Moved about by wind and current, these floating mats create a changing mosaic of colors and patterns. The diverse habitats in the park also support a wide variety of wildlife; over 200 species of birds, the American Alligator, turtles, fish (including the primitive long-nosed gar and bowfin), as well as mammals like oposum, deer and beaver. History of the Park Merchant's Millpond State Park is more than 190 years old. In the early 1700s, 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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THE OUTDOORS
OUTFITTERS
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