[1] Long before settlers were navigating the Black River corridor in the eighteenth century, Native Americans traveled through these waterways via canoes.

By the nineteenth century following the Civil War, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers helped dredge the river in preparation for steamboats to have access to it.

Although its blackwater prevents certain organisms from flourishing in the Black River Preserve, these types of ecosystems often consist of a very unique variety of fauna and flora.

[6][7] In order to determine the age of bald cypress trees on the Black River Preserve, scientists have used a non-destructive method combining radiocarbon dating and dendrochronology.

With the help of North Carolina state agencies, this conservation and restoration project began in 1989 and has since protected the river and its surrounding environment.

These threats include pollution of the river and surrounding waterways, as well as the logging industry, climate change and rise in sea level.