The Tyrrell County SplitsOnce upon a time there was not Tyrrell County or even a North Carolina for that matter. |
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As can be seen by the two maps of the two 'split counties' of Washington and Tyrrell, the 'Township of Scuppernong' was torn apart into two Scuppernong Townships OR NOT. There was just not a logical line along the Scuppernong River. Thus the man made one has left parts of the 'old Scuppernong Township and the river in both Washington County and Tyrell County. And thus, though it did more equally divide the territory, it actually left quite an arbitray split to what was is still but one Scuppernong, River and Township alike. Where there was once one, there were now two relative to the 1799 county division of Tyrrell into two. And both counties have kept the name of Scuppernong as can be seen by the two county maps above.
You Can't Divide the Scuppernong
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The Scuppernong River, once local to only Tyrrell County, now flows through both
Washington and the smaller Tyrrell County of today. Nature's natural features has
always mocked man's drawing lines in the sand. Yet the lands are being divided
and fenced in spite of nature, and to the shame of man's not properly taking care
of the land and its natural resources. The 'golden' variety of the muscadine grape
is unique to the 'Scuppernong' River, which shares its name with the grape. Native
Americans had been cultivating the long before the white-eye. One Manteo vine is
known to be over 400 years old and is simply known as the 'Mother Vine.'