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By Kathy Hart 



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JL oday, the Black River 

 id quiet. 



Only the doundd of nature echo 

 acrodd itd waters and redound 

 through the cypress, cedar and pure 

 that guard ltd d ho red. 



But there were noidier dayd — 

 dayd when landingd along the river 

 were alive with people, dteamboatd 

 dh rilled their w hid tied and polerd 

 dhouted from raft to raft ad they 

 piuhed their loadd down the river. 



JL or the historian willing to 

 look into its depths, the river's black 

 beauty mirrors a rich heritage and a 

 legacy to the people of Sampson, 

 Pender and Bladen counties. It has 

 linked generation to generation and 

 neighbor to neighbor. 



For nearly 200 years, the Black 

 River was an artery in the body of these 

 three counties, supplying the lifeline of 

 trade that sustained its people. 



Before the arrival of the Europe- 

 ans, Native Americans paddled their 

 canoes along the length of the Black 

 River and hunted the forests that 

 hugged its shores. 



Scott D. Taylor 



1 MARCH/APRIL 1994 



