Lumber mills figuratively as well as literally built Elizabeth City. Logs were floated to lumber mills on the Pasquotank River and the Dismal Swamp Canal as well as the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal. Bald cypress and Atlantic white cedar (juniper) flowed out of the Great Dismal Swamp for use in construction because the wood was light and resistant to rot. Residents of the swamp also made shingles and siding which were very desirable since they lasted a long time on houses.
During the colonial period, forests were the major source of income in eastern N.C. other than farming. Even farming benefited because large areas of woodland were cleared to create farmland. Longleaf pines were once the dominant species of tree in inland N.C. forests during the early…
