Lake Phelps
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lake Phelps | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Location | North Carolina, United States |
| Primary inflows | precipitation |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Average depth | 4.5 ft (1.4 m) |
| Max. depth | 9 ft (2.7 m) |
Lake Phelps is North Carolina's second largest natural lake. It is located in Washington County on the Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula located between the Albemarle Sound and the Pamlico Sound. An Indian dugout canoe was found in the lake dating back nearly 4,400 years. Other artifiacts have been found around the area dating as early as 8,000 B.C.
Its origin has long puzzled scientists. Some say that its origin is underground springs, wave action, wind, a meteor, glacial activity or a peat burn. It is more or less a round shape.
Lake Phelps is named for Josiah Phelps, the first white man to enter its waters. Phelps and another colonial explorer, Benjamin Tarkington, were searching through what was then known as the Great Eastern Dismal or Great Alligator Dismal in 1755. Phelps and Tarkington were part of a group of hunters who entered the swamps in search of game and farmland. The group had become discouraged and were about to leave when Tarkington scaled one of the many trees and spotted the lake a short distance away. Phelps went ahead and ran into the water. As the first in the water he was given the honor of naming the lake. [1]
