Meherrin River facts for kids

Gholson Bridge, Spanning Meherrin River at SR 715, Brunswick County, Virginia

The Meherrin River is a 92-mile (148 km) long river in the U.S. states of Virginia and North Carolina. It begins in central Virginia, about 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Emporia, and flows roughly east-southeast into North Carolina, where it joins the larger Chowan River.

A twenty-foot-high dam on the river creates a reservoir in Emporia. For most of its length, the Meherrin is not large enough for commercial traffic. It widens somewhat between Murfreesboro, North Carolina and the Chowan. Prior to the American Civil War, this section of the river was a significant trading route for Northeastern North Carolina.

The river was named after the Meherrin Indians, whose territory was along it.