Underwater Archaeology — A Link to the Past Throughout the
centuries the people of North Carolina have lived in close
contact with the waters of the state. Before the arrival of
Europeans the Indian inhabitants relied upon the rivers and
sounds as a source of food, and a means of transportation and
trade. The Indians built wooden dugout canoes and developed a
variety of ways to catch fish. During the winter many tribes
would camp along the coastal sounds living off the readily
available supply of oysters and other shellfish. Early European
settlers used these same avenues of water as a means to explore
and settle the interior of the state. Gradually settlements grew
to port towns such as Edenton, Bath, New Bern, Beaufort,
Brunswick, and Wilmington. In addition, smaller communities and
plantations had their own landings along the waterways. Down
these rivers traveled the products of the new land: lumber,
naval stores, tobacco and cotton. In exchange, ships from the
other colonies, the West Indies and Europe br