[2][3] The establishment of the Lake Company, founded by Josiah Collins Sr., Nathaniel Allen, and Dr. Samuel Dickenson helped support the region’s development.

The company’s acquisition of 100,000 acres between Lake Phelps and the Scuppernong River led to the creation of the Somerset Canal between the two bodies of water completed in 1788.

[2][3] The canal, constructed by slave labor, served multiple purposes including drainage, irrigation, and powering mills.

[2] After the Civil War, the Collins and Pettigrew plantations situated next to the Scuppernong River saw decreasing use, except for tenant farmers.

[2][4] In 1990 the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge was established and the Scuppernong River section of Pettigrew State Park in 2004 with the aid of The Nature Conservancy.

The festival brings in thousands of people to celebrate the river through car shows, food trucks, and live music.

Common tree species in these forests are bald cypress, black gum, water tupelo, Atlantic white cedar, ti-ti, wax myrtle, and red maple.

[2] Red wolves, a rare and endangered species of wolf native to southeast North America, also live in the area.

[2][10] Many notable bird species live around the river, including American woodcocks, red-cockaded woodpeckers, wood ducks, and bald eagles.

[10] The primary purpose of the refuge is habitat conservation, but there are recreation opportunities like the Scuppernong River Interpretive Boardwalk.