 The JAA analyzed information from a study conducted in 1985 by David Stahle and others, who obtained drawings of 800 year-old bald cypress trees along the Nottoway and Blackwater rivers.The lifespan of these trees is up to 1,000 years and their rings offer a good indication of an area's annual amount of rainfall.The borings revealed that the worst drought in 700 years occurred between 1606 and 1612.