The pump station that keeps the Gum Neck drainage district dry sits atop the dike separating farmland from the canal below. Built around three 60-inch pumps rated to move up to 210,000 gallons of water a minute when new, the station has kept this stretch of Tyrrell County dry since 1966 — though farm ers and drainage officials say vegetation-choked canals and aging equip ment have cut into that capacity over the years. (Courtesy photo)
GUM NECK — Drive along Highway 94 just outside this small community and you’re driving on more than a road. You’re driving on a dike — a wall of earth built more than 60 years ago to hold back water from land that, in places, sits below sea level.
For more information, check out the Aug. 26, 2026, edition of the Roanoke Beacon.
