North Carolina wine there were some 25 wineries in North Carolina, with extensive independent vineyards, to the extent that North Carolina dominated the national market for American wines at the time. The "Scuppernong" grape was the primary source for North Carolina's 19th Century wine, as it had been for about two centuries. The Civil War ended that market dominance, through damage to the industry by loss of manpower and scarce capital, as well as through revocation of winemaking licenses due to regulatory retribution following the war. Wine production began to recover in the decades after the war through the early 20th Century. However,
Pettigrew State Park Lake Phelps, and the largest expansion, which took place along the Scuppernong River in 2004. The Scuppernong had remained largely undeveloped throughout history. In 1793, the town of Columbia was built on its banks, as were several boat landings. The Scuppernong is a blackwater river: it water is colored like black tea or coffee. The Scuppernong served as a means of transportation for the early settlers in this region of North Carolina. Since 1989 the Nature Conservancy has sought to protect it in its most natural state. In 2002 the Nature Conservancy offered to donate four tracts of land that