Page 15 - Robeson Living Spring 2019

castle and his family farmed near McMillan’s Beach. He is
working on preserving this unique Robeson County land-
mark.

River Secrets

In 2000, Paul Valenti, a local scuba diver and historian,
said “The murky water of the Lumber River hides more
than catfish and eels. In certain sections of the river—in
low water conditions—fossilized remains from prehistoric
mammals and sharks, along with a wide variety of other sea
life, can be found exposed along its banks. These remains
date back to the Miocene epoch period around 5 to 10 mil-
lion years ago when the region was covered by the ocean.
The divers bring the canoe from the river.
“One area in particular (around Stephens Park) contains
some of these fossilized remains, along with the remnants
of a grist mill owned by German immigrants named Wes-
sel. This mill operated in the 1800s. The mill was in the
bend of the river to harness some of the power of the river.
In extremely low water conditions some of the holes for the
pilings are exposed. While diving in the area, a few bottles
and some broken china was found.

“In May 1985 the Lumber River revealed one of its greatest
secrets – a canoe dating back to 930 A.D. The 16.6-foot
canoe made from yellow pine was pulled from the dark
river waters near McNeill’s Bridge. The canoe was burned
and scraped by Native Americans of the area to be used for Valenti leads the group carrying the canoe to the
transportation along the river. waiting trailer.
grab a pole and fish from the tree-lined banks or just sit and
“I was actually diving in search of other objects and I really drink in the beauty and peacefulness of the Lumber River
wasn’t sure just what it was. it was wedged up against some and its surroundings.
trees and other debris, so it wasn’t easy to recognize. He
decided it was an Indian artifact and marked the area so that Writer’s notes: I drew much of the information for this arti-
he could bring archaeologist back to examine the canoe.” cle from vintage newspapers. I also was not able to use all
of the photographs that I wanted to highlight in the printed
The North Carolina Department of Cultural Resourc- version. You will be able to access the articles and addi-
es confirmed that the canoe was the oldest found in the tional photographs at my website blaketyner.com.
state, dating back hundreds of years before the 1700s Lake
Waccamaw canoe that had been the oldest one on record. Editor’s Note About Author:
The canoe has been preserved and is housed at the Native Growing up in North Carolina, Blake Tyner was surrounded
America Resource Center at the University of North Caro- by history and great Southern cooking, spending countless
lina at Pembroke. hours with his great-grandparents. The busy kitchen and
large family dinners gave a perfect settling for hearing about
Dr. Linda Oxendine, former Chair of the American Indi- the people of the past. As he learned the history of the area
an Studies department and Director of the Native Amer- and her citizens, he developed a craving to bring the people
ica Resource Center at the UNCP, told me that the men of the past alive and share their stories.
transporting the canoe to be restored told her, “As we drove He has published four books as well as numerous articles in
the trailer out of the boundaries of Robeson County, bits of regional newspapers and magazines. He served as Executive
the canoe started flying off like it didn’t want to leave its Director of the Maxton Historical Society and the Robeson
home.” County History Museum. More of his writings and projects
can be found at blaketyner.com.
I urge you to take time to paddle a canoe on the dark waters, Page 15