Lynches River, named for Thomas Lynch, Jr., signer of the Declaration of Independence, rises in North Carolina near Waxhaw, North Carolina, at about 700 feet (210 m) elevation, flowing only a short distance to the South Carolina border, and thence to join the Great Pee Dee River near Johnsonville. It is about 140 mi (225 km) long and the drainage area is 1030 square miles (2670 km²).