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NORTH CAROLINA...
IT'S ONE OF AMERICA'S ORIGINAL COLONIES...
WHERE HUMANS TOOK THE FIRST POWERED FLIGHT...
AND BREATHTAKING BEAUTY RINGS
FROM THE HIGHEST PEAKS IN THE EAST.
IT WAS HERE WHERE AMERICA'S MOST FAMOUS PIRATE MET HIS FATE
AND A BARRIER ISLAND STILL HOLDS THE SECRETS
OF WHAT MAY BE THE NATION'S OLDEST UNSOLVED MYSTERY.
AERIAL NORTH CAROLINA JOURNEYS FROM THE OUTER BANKS...
ACROSS INLAND FORESTS...
TO A MOUNTAIN THAT'S GUIDED TRAVELERS FOR CENTURIES.
IT WAS HERE WHERE FOUR BRAVE STUDENTS
CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY...
TOBACCO IS KING...
AND CONFEDERATE TROOPS
MARCHED THROUGH THE PITCH OF PINE FORESTS.
THIS IS THE TARHEEL STATE.
NORTH CAROLINA.
ROANOKE ISLAND.
IT'S THE SITE
OF ONE OF THE GREATEST MYSTERIES OF THE COLONIAL ERA:
NORTH CAROLINA'S LOST COLONY.
NATIVE AMERICANS INHABITED THIS ISLAND
AS FAR BACK AS 10,000 YEARS AGO.
THE FIRST EUROPEAN TO SET FOOT HERE
WAS ITALIAN EXPLORER GIOVANNI DA VERRAZANO,
WHO WAS SENT BY FRANCE
TO CHART AMERICA'S ATLANTIC COASTLINE IN 1524.
BUT IT WAS ENGLAND
WHO FIRST TRIED TO ESTABLISH A COLONY ON THIS WILD ISLAND.
WITH QUEEN ELIZABETH'S BLESSING,
SIR WALTER RALEIGH SENT A PARTY IN 1584
TO SCOUT THE CAROLINA COAST FOR POTENTIAL SITES.
WHEN THEY SAW ROANOKE ISLAND,
THEY THOUGHT THEY'D FOUND THE PERFECT PLACE.
THE WEATHER WAS MILD AND THE RICH SOIL ABUNDANT.
SO THE FOLLOWING YEAR,
JUST OVER 100 MEN--SCIENTISTS, PAINTERS AND EXPLORERS--
LANDED HERE,
EAGER TO ESTABLISH ENGLAND'S FIRST FOOTHOLD IN AMERICA.
THIS SHIP IS A REPLICA OF THE ELIZABETH,
ONE OF THE SEVEN MERCHANT VESSELS
THAT DELIVERED THIS BAND OF HOPEFUL SETTLERS.
ITS PASSENGERS THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A ONE-WAY TRIP,
BUT THINGS DIDN'T GO AS PLANNED.
THE MEN QUICKLY RAN OUT OF SUPPLIES,
CLASHED WITH NATIVE AMERICANS,
AND FLED BACK TO ENGLAND JUST ONE YEAR LATER.
IN 1587, A NEW GROUP-- 119 MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN--
TRIED TO MAKE ANOTHER GO AT SETTLING ROANOKE ISLAND.
BUT WHEN A SUPPLY SHIP ARRIVED HERE THREE YEARS LATER,
THEY FOUND A CHILLING SIGHT.
THE ENTIRE COLONY HAD VANISHED.
THE SETTLERS' HOUSES HAD ALL BEEN TAKEN DOWN
AND THEIR EARTHWORK FORT, WHICH STOOD HERE, WAS DESERTED.
THE ONLY CLUE LEFT BEHIND
WAS THE NAME OF A NEARBY ISLAND, CROATOAN,
CARVED INTO A WOODEN POST.
SO WHAT HAPPENED
TO NORTH CAROLINA'S NOTORIOUS LOST COLONY?
WERE THEY MASSACRED BY NATIVE AMERICANS?
OR WERE THEY ASSIMILATED INTO A FRIENDLIER TRIBE
ON CROATOAN ISLAND?
THE PUZZLE HAS FASCINATED HISTORIANS FOR CENTURIES,
AND THE PUBLIC, TOO.
EVERY SUMMER NIGHT, HERE AT THE WATERSIDE THEATER,
PLAYERS REENACT THE TALE
IN A PERFORMANCE CALLED "THE LOST COLONY."
THE COLONY IS ALSO COMMEMORATED
AT THE ISLAND'S ELIZABETHAN GARDENS,
NAMED FOR THE MONARCH WHO SENT THE DOOMED SETTLERS.
A PLAQUE AT THE ENTRANCE READS,
"FROM THIS HALLOWED GROUND
THEY WALKED AWAY THROUGH THE DARK FOREST INTO HISTORY."
SOME OF THE LIVE OAKS IN THIS GARDEN
ARE OVER 400 YEARS OLD--
OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW THE SECRET OF WHAT HAPPENED
TO THE LOST COLONY OF NORTH CAROLINA.
ROANOKE LIES ON NORTH CAROLINA'S OUTER BANKS--
175 MILES OF BARRIER ISLANDS
LINED BY LONG STRETCHES OF SANDY BEACH.
MILLIONS OF VISITORS FLOCK HERE EVERY YEAR,
DRAWN TO THE MILD CLIMATE AND SURFSIDE COTTAGES.
BUT LIFE HERE IS AT THE MERCY OF THE MIGHTY ATLANTIC.
NO BEACHFRONT STRUCTURE IS IMMUNE
TO THE OCEAN'S DESTRUCTIVE FORCE,
NOT EVEN THIS HOUSE ON CAPE HATTERAS,
MADE FAMOUS IN THE 2008 MOVIE "NIGHTS IN RODANTHE."
WHEN THIS HOME, CALLED SERENDIPITY,
WAS BUILT IN 1988,
IT STOOD 400 FEET FROM THE OCEAN.
BUT CONSTANT POUNDING FROM STORM WAVES
HAS SLOWLY EATEN AWAY THE BEACH.
THE FINAL BLOW CAME IN NOVEMBER OF 2009,
WHEN A POWERFUL NOR'EASTER
NEARLY SWALLOWED THE HOUSE WHOLE.
THE PROPERTY WAS CONDEMNED AND SLATED FOR DEMOLITION.
AT THE 11th HOUR,
A COUPLE STEPPED IN TO SAVE SERENDIPITY
AND ARE IN THE PROCESS OF RESTORING IT
TO ITS HOLLYWOOD GLORY.
NATURE'S FURY WILL CONTINUE TO RAGE,
BUT THAT WON'T KEEP TOURISTS AWAY.
SO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
HAS CREATED THE 30,000-ACRE CAPE HATTERAS NATIONAL SEASHORE
TO HELP KEEP THESE BEACHES WILD.
THE 75-MILE STRETCH OF COAST IS OFF-LIMITS TO DEVELOPERS
AND REMAINS HOME TO A RICH DIVERSITY OF WILDLIFE.
THE HATTERAS SEASHORE SERVES AS A MAJOR AVIAN MIGRATORY STOP
AND PROVIDES CRUCIAL FEEDING AND NESTING GROUNDS
TO NEARLY 400 BIRD SPECIES.
AT THE SOUTHERN TIP OF THE NATIONAL SEASHORE
IS A PLACE WITH AN OMINOUS PAST.
THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST REMOTE PLACES IN NORTH CAROLINA--
OCRACOKE ISLAND.
THE ONLY WAY FOR MOST PEOPLE TO GET HERE IS BY FERRY.
ITS SECLUSION IS WHAT FIRST DREW SETTLERS TO THE ISLAND
AND LATER, ONE OF AMERICA'S MOST NOTORIOUS OUTLAWS.
HIS NAME WAS EDWARD TEACH,
BETTER KNOWN AS THE PIRATE BLACKBEARD.
PATROLLING THESE WATERS ON HIS SHIP THE ADVENTURE,
BLACKBEARD PLUNDERED THE MERCHANT VESSELS
THAT PASSED THROUGH THE OCRACOKE INLET,
ONE OF THE BUSIEST SHIPPING WATERWAYS OF THE 18th CENTURY.
AND IT WAS HERE, IN 1718, WHERE HE MET HIS FATE
WHEN A ROYAL NAVY CAPTAIN LURED BLACKBEARD INTO AN AMBUSH,
CUT OFF HIS HEAD,
AND DUMPED HIS BODY INTO THE SOUND.
LEGEND HAS IT,
BLACKBEARD'S GHOST STILL ROAMS OCRACOKE ISLAND,
SEARCHING FOR HIS LONG LOST HEAD.
FISHERMEN AND SURFERS ALIKE ARE DRAWN TO NORTH CAROLINA'S COAST,
BUT THERE IS DANGER BENEATH THESE WATERS,
ESPECIALLY FOR BIG SHIPS.
A TREACHEROUS 12-MILE-LONG SANDBAR CALLED DIAMOND SHOALS
LIES JUST OFF THE COAST,
CONSPIRING WITH POWERFUL OCEAN CURRENTS
TO PULL SHIPS TO THEIR DEMISE.
WELL OVER A THOUSAND VESSELS HAVE GONE DOWN HERE,
EARNING THE AREA THE NICKNAME, THE GRAVEYARD OF THE ATLANTIC.
THE CAPE HATTERAS LIGHTHOUSE
HAS KEPT WATCH OVER THESE PERILOUS WATERS
SINCE 1870.
IT TOOK A HUNDRED LABORERS
AND NEARLY ONE AND A QUARTER MILLION BRICKS TO COMPLETE.
STANDING 210 FEET,
IT'S THE TALLEST BRICK LIGHTHOUSE IN NORTH AMERICA.
LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS WERE ORIGINALLY HOUSED
IN THE FRAME BUILDINGS NEARBY.
FROM THE TOP OF THE TOWER,
THEY'D CAREFULLY STAND WATCH OVER THE LAMP
ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT,
THAT IS UNTIL 1934, WHEN THE LIGHT WENT ELECTRIC.
ON A CLEAR NIGHT,
THE BEACON CAN BE SEEN BY SAILORS
20 NAUTICAL MILES OUT AT SEA.
TODAY, THIS TOWN NORTH OF CAPE HATTERAS
IS A HUMMING SURFSIDE COMMUNITY.
AT THE TURN OF THE 20th CENTURY,
KITTY HAWK WASN'T MUCH MORE THAN JUST A PLACE TO GO FISHING.
BUT TWO BROTHERS SAW ITS OPEN SPACE AND SOFT DUNES
AS THE PERFECT SPOT
TO EXPERIMENT WITH THEIR FLYING MACHINES.
WILBUR AND ORVILLE WRIGHT, WHO RAN A BICYCLE SHOP IN OHIO,
SPENT THEIR WINTERS DOWN HERE.
IN WOODEN SHACKS LIKE THESE, THEY LIVED HUMBLY
AND WORKED ON A SERIES OF PRIMITIVE GLIDERS.
IN THE WINTER OF 1903,
THEY WERE FINALLY PREPARED TO TAKE TO THE AIR
IN AN ENGINE-POWERED CRAFT.
ON DECEMBER 14th, AFTER A COIN TOSS,
WILBUR WON THE PRIVILEGE
OF PILOTING THEIR NEW WRIGHT FLYER DOWN THIS PATH,
BUT INSTEAD OF CATCHING AIR,
HE OVERSTEERED THE PLANE,
WHICH DOVE INTO THE SAND BEFORE IT COULD TAKE OFF.
THREE DAYS LATER, ORVILLE WAS IN THE PILOT'S SEAT
FOR HIS SHORT BUT HISTORIC FLIGHT.
FOR TWELVE INCREDIBLE SECONDS, AT THIS EXACT LOCATION,
HUMAN FLIGHT WENT FROM FANTASY TO REALITY.
THE WRIGHTS' FLYER TRAVELED JUST 120 FEET,
BUT ITS IMPACT WAS FELT AROUND THE WORLD.
IN THE DISTANCE, ON BIG KILL DEVIL HILL,
STANDS THE 60-FOOT WRIGHT BROTHERS MONUMENT.
DEDICATED IN 1932, IT BEARS THE INSCRIPTION,
"IN COMMEMORATION OF THE CONQUEST OF THE AIR
BY THE BROTHERS ORVILLE AND WILBUR WRIGHT.
CONCEIVED BY GENIUS,
ACHIEVED BY DAUNTLESS RESOLUTION
AND UNCONQUERABLE FAITH."
BEHIND NORTH CAROLINA'S BARRIER ISLANDS,
A VERY DIFFERENT LANDSCAPE EMERGES.
THIS IS BULL NECK SWAMP.
IT USED TO BE LOGGING TERRITORY,
WHEN TIMBER COMPANIES EXPLOITED ITS FOREST
FOR ATLANTIC WHITE CEDAR.
SALVATION CAME IN 1996
WHEN CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY PURCHASED THE PARCEL
FOR USE AS A WETLANDS RESEARCH SITE.
TODAY, THE BULL NECK SWAMP RESEARCH FOREST
ALSO SERVES AS A REFUGE
FOR ANIMAL SPECIES LIKE COYOTES, BLACK BEARS,
AND WHITE-TAILED DEER.
ABOUT 75 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE SWAMP
LIES THE SECOND OLDEST CITY IN NORTH CAROLINA,
NEW BERN.
NAMED AFTER THE CAPITAL OF SWITZERLAND,
IT WAS FIRST SETTLED BY SWISS AND GERMAN IMMIGRANTS
IN THE EARLY 1700s,
IN THE EARLIEST DAYS OF THE COLONY.
IT WAS HERE WHERE WILLIAM TRYON,
ROYAL GOVERNOR OF NORTH CAROLINA AT THE TIME,
DECIDED TO BUILD A PERMANENT CAPITAL.
HE CALLED IT TRYON PALACE.
COMPLETED IN 1770,
THE ELABORATE GEORGIAN STYLE MANSION
SERVED AS BOTH A GOVERNMENT BUILDING
AND AS TRYON'S PERSONAL RESIDENCE,
THOUGH THE COLONISTS WEREN'T TOO HAPPY ABOUT PAYING HIGHER TAXES
SO THEIR GOVERNOR COULD LIVE IN OPULENCE.
ULTIMATELY, TRYON ONLY GOT TO LIVE IN HIS PALACE FOR A YEAR
BEFORE HE WAS MADE GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK
AND MOVED AWAY.
AFTER THE REVOLUTION, THE PALACE SERVED FOR SEVERAL YEARS
AS THE STATE CAPITAL OF AN INDEPENDENT NORTH CAROLINA.
AND THEN, AFTER THE STATE CAPITAL HAD MOVED TO RALEIGH,
THE ORIGINAL PALACE WENT UP IN FLAMES.
THIS HOUSE IS A REPLICA BUILT IN THE 1950s,
FROM THE ARCHITECT'S ORIGINAL PLANS.
NEW PALACE GARDENS WERE ALSO DESIGNED.
COVERING MORE THAN 16 ACRES,
THEY INCLUDE THREE CENTURIES OF NORTH CAROLINA PLANTS.
BY THE MID-19th CENTURY, THE PORT CITY OF NEW BERN
HAD GROWN INTO THE SECOND LARGEST CITY
ON THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST--
A STRATEGIC TARGET FOR THE NORTH DURING THE CIVIL WAR.
IN EARLY 1862,
UNION GENERAL AMBROSE BURNSIDE MARCHED DECISIVELY INTO TOWN,
OVERPOWERED THE WOEFULLY UNPREPARED CONFEDERATE TROOPS,
AND OCCUPIED NEW BERN FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WAR.
SEVERAL DECADES AFTER THE WAR'S END,
NEW BERN BECAME THE BIRTHPLACE OF AN AMERICAN ICON.
HERE ON MIDDLE STREET,
A YOUNG DRUGGIST NAMED CALEB BRADHAM
OPENED A SMALL PHARMACY
WITH A SODA FOUNTAIN THAT SERVED A UNIQUE COMBINATION
OF CARBONATED WATER, SUGAR, VANILLA, COLA NUTS, AND PEPSIN.
HE NAMED IT PEPSI-COLA.
WHEN NORTH CAROLINA'S STATESMEN
DECIDED TO MOVE THE CAPITAL AWAY FROM NEW BERN,
THEY CHOSE A SPOT VERY DIFFERENT
FROM THE BUSTLING CITY ON THE COAST.
IN 1792, THE STATE LEGISLATURE SENT A COMMITTEE ON A MISSION
TO SCOUT SITES FOR A NEW CAPITAL.
AT THE TIME, RALEIGH, IN THE STATE'S PIEDMONT REGION,
WAS NOTHING BUT A LONELY OUTPOST.
BUT STATE SENATOR JOEL LANE
HAD A THOUSAND-ACRE PLANTATION FOR SALE HERE,
AND HE WAS A TERRIFIC SALESMAN.
HE GRACIOUSLY TOOK THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS TO A LOCAL TAVERN
WHERE THEY INDULGED IN A POPULAR LIBATION CALLED CHERRY BOUNCE.
LEGEND HAS IT THAT THEY DIDN'T REALIZE UNTIL THE NEXT MORNING
THAT THEY HAD AGREED TO BUY LANE'S LAND.
THE NEW CAPITAL WAS NAMED AFTER SIR WALTER RALEIGH,
WHO'D SENT THE FIRST COLONISTS TO NORTH CAROLINA
IN THE 16th CENTURY.
THE CITY ITSELF WAS MODELED AFTER PHILADELPHIA,
WHICH AT THE TIME,
WAS THE CAPITAL OF THE UNITED STATES.
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CITY, A SPLENDID GREEK REVIVAL DOME
CROWNS A BUILDING MORE THAN 170 YEARS OLD--
THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE CAPITOL.
ITS GREAT PORTICO AND MASSIVE COLUMNS
WERE ALL CARVED FROM LOCALLY QUARRIED GRANITE.
TO GET THE GIANT SLABS TO THE BUILDING SITE,
ENGINEERS DEVELOPED A SPECIAL WOODEN-TRACK RAILWAY
WITH MULE-DRAWN CARS.
THE FIRST STONE WENT INTO PLACE IN THE SUMMER OF 1833,
AND THE BUILDING WAS COMPLETED SEVEN YEARS LATER.
INSIDE THESE WALLS, IN 1861, AFTER A HEATED DEBATE,
STATE LEGISLATORS MADE THE MOST IMPORTANT DECISION
OF THEIR CAREERS,
VOTING IN FAVOR OF SECESSION.
THE DECISION WAS MET WITH GREAT CELEBRATION.
A 100-ROUND ARTILLERY SALUTE
RANG OUT OVER THE CAPITOL GROUNDS.
BUT THE FESTIVITIES WERE SHORT-LIVED.
JUST FOUR YEARS LATER,
THE UNION ARMY STORMED INTO TOWN,
DEFEATED THE CONFEDERATES, AND OCCUPIED RALEIGH.
THE SOUTHERN CAPITAL WAS NEVER THE SAME AGAIN.
MODERN-DAY RALEIGH IS ONE OF THE FASTEST-GROWING CITIES
IN THE UNITED STATES,
THANKS IN LARGE PART TO THE WORK GOING ON HERE
AT RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK.
FOUNDED IN 1959, RTP IS A 7,000-ACRE CAMPUS
WHERE RESEARCHERS, POLICYMAKERS, AND BUSINESSES COLLABORATE
ON ALL KINDS OF SCIENTIFIC AND HIGH-TECH RESEARCH.
3D ULTRASOUND TECHNOLOGY WAS DEVELOPED HERE,
AS WELL AS THE GROUND-BREAKING ***-AIDS DRUG, AZT.
MODERN ARCHITECTURE MAY SPRAWL
THROUGH RALEIGH'S HIGH-TECH HUBS,
BUT NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE HISTORIC OAKWOOD,
WITH ITS WELL-PRESERVED VICTORIAN BUILDINGS,
SEEM TO BE STRAIGHT FROM THE 19th CENTURY.
IT WASN'T THAT LONG AGO
THAT THIS NEIGHBORHOOD WAS IN DISREPAIR.
AFTER WORLD WAR II, MIDDLE-CLASS FAMILIES
BEGAN FLEEING THE CITY FOR THE SUBURBS,
ABANDONING THEIR ONCE-FASHIONABLE HOMES.
BUT IN THE EARLY 1970s, THE TIDE BEGAN TO TURN BACK,
AND A FEW RENOVATIONS
INSPIRED A WAVE OF NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION.
LOCALS CALL THE AREA
BETWEEN RALEIGH, DURHAM, AND CHAPEL HILL
"THE TRIANGLE."
THESE AREN'T JUST THE BIGGEST CITIES IN THE AREA;
THEY'RE ALSO HOME TO THREE PROMINENT UNIVERSITIES:
NORTH CAROLINA STATE,
DUKE,
AND THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA.
EACH SCHOOL HAS DIFFERENT ACADEMIC STRENGTHS,
BUT THEY ALL SHARE ONE THING IN COMMON-
WITHIN THE LAST 30 YEARS,
EACH HAS WON THE NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
AT LEAST ONCE.
DUKE UNIVERSITY,
FORMERLY KNOWN AS TRINITY COLLEGE,
WAS BORN IN RURAL RANDOLPH COUNTY
IN THE MID-19th CENTURY.
THEN, IN 1892,
A WEALTHY TOBACCO FARMER NAMED WASHINGTON DUKE
OFFERED UP $85,000
TO HAVE THE COLLEGE MOVED HERE, TO DURHAM.
HE CONSIDERED THIS CITY
AN EMBLEM OF THE PROGRESSIVE "NEW SOUTH"
AND A MUCH MORE FITTING PLACE FOR THE GROWING SCHOOL.
IN THE 1920s,
DUKE'S SON JAMES CONTINUED IN HIS FATHER'S FOOTSTEPS,
PROVIDING THE $19 MILLION THAT TRINITY COLLEGE NEEDED
TO EXPAND INTO A UNIVERSITY.
THE SCHOOL WAS RENAMED DUKE UNIVERSITY.
WHEN DESIGNS WERE BEING DRAWN UP FOR THE NEW CAMPUS,
JAMES DUKE CHOSE THE HIGHEST RIDGE
FOR THE DUKE UNIVERSITY CHAPEL.
IT WAS THE FIRST BUILDING PLANNED,
BUT THE LAST ONE FINISHED, IN 1935.
TOPPED BY A 210-FOOT-HIGH TOWER,
THE CHAPEL HAS 77 STAINED GLASS WINDOWS,
THREE PIPE ORGANS,
AND SEATING FOR MORE THAN 1,500 PEOPLE.
TODAY, THE SEED THAT WASHINGTON DUKE PLANTED
HAS GROWN INTO ONE OF THE COUNTRY'S LEADING UNIVERSITIES
WITH OVER 200 BUILDINGS
SPREAD ACROSS A THICKLY FORESTED 8,000-ACRE CAMPUS.
LIKE MANY CITIES IN NORTH CAROLINA,
DURHAM WAS BUILT ON THE BACK OF TOBACCO.
IT EVEN EARNED ITS NICKNAME, BULL CITY,
FROM THE NAME OF A SMOKING TOBACCO KNOWN AS "BULL DURHAM."
AT BASEBALL PARKS, THE COMPANY ADVERTISED ITS TOBACCO
ON GIANT BULL-SHAPED SIGNS
PLACED ABOVE THE OUTFIELD FENCES,
RIGHT NEXT TO THE SPOT WHERE RELIEF PITCHERS WARMED UP.
THAT'S HOW BASEBALL GOT THE TERM "BULLPEN."
A FEW MILES NORTH OF DURHAM
STANDS THE DUKE FAMILY HOMESTEAD.
IT WAS HERE, IN THIS RAMSHACKLE BARN,
THAT YOUNG WASHINGTON DUKE FIRST STARTED A TOBACCO BUSINESS
THAT WOULD ONE DAY GROW INTO THE AMERICAN TOBACCO COMPANY,
ONCE THE LARGEST TOBACCO COMPANY IN THE WORLD.
TOBACCO HAS LONG BEEN A PART
OF NORTH CAROLINA'S ECONOMIC HISTORY.
IN THE 1700s, BUNDLES OF IT WERE USED AS CURRENCY.
TODAY IT REMAINS THE STATE'S NUMBER-ONE EXPORT CROP.
BUT IT WASN'T ALWAYS NORTH CAROLINA'S TOP COMMODITY.
BEGINNING IN THE 1800s, COTTON WAS KING,
AND IT REIGNED FOR NEARLY A HUNDRED YEARS.
BUT BY THE 1920s,
THE TINY, COTTON-EATING BOLL WEEVIL BEETLE
THAT HAD BEEN PLAGUING THE SOUTH
FINALLY ARRIVED IN NORTH CAROLINA
AND DEVOURED THE STATE'S COTTON INDUSTRY.
THEN, IN 1978, COTTON FINALLY MADE A COMEBACK.
THE STATE WAS THE SITE
OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE'S PILOT EXPERIMENT
TO ERADICATE BOLL WEEVILS.
AND NORTH CAROLINA COTTON HAS BEEN ON THE RISE EVER SINCE.
CHAPEL HILL IS THE THIRD POINT ON THE NORTH CAROLINA TRIANGLE
AND HOME TO THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL,
THE FIRST PUBLIC UNIVERSITY IN THE COUNTRY.
WHEN IT OPENED ITS DOORS IN 1795,
THERE WERE ONLY TWO PROFESSORS AND 41 STUDENTS.
TOTAL ENROLLMENT TODAY IS NEARLY 30,000.
CAMPUS LORE SAYS THAT STUDENTS WHO DRINK FROM THIS WELL
ON THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS
WILL ENJOY STRAIGHT As AND GOOD FORTUNE
FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR.
A CENTURY AGO, IT SERVED A MORE UTILITARIAN PURPOSE
AS THE SOLE SOURCE OF DRINKING WATER
FOR THE SCHOOL DORMS.
DURING THE CIVIL WAR,
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA KEPT ITS DOORS OPEN,
CALLING ON WOUNDED WARRIORS TO TEACH ITS CLASSES.
SILENT SAM STANDS AS A MONUMENT
TO THOSE STUDENTS WHO JOINED THE CONFEDERATE ARMY
AND AS A MEMORIAL TO THOSE 321 ALUMNI
WHO PAID THE ULTIMATE PRICE.
HE'S SAID TO BE SILENT BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH HE HAS A RIFLE,
HE'S CARRYING NO AMMUNITION.
NEARBY, RISING 172 FEET,
THE MOREHEAD PATTERSON BELL TOWER CHIMES EVERY HOUR--
A HELPFUL REMINDER FOR ANY ABSENT-MINDED PROFESSOR
WHO MAY HAVE FORGOTTEN A WATCH.
VIEWING NORTH CAROLINA FROM ON HIGH,
LONGLEAF PINE FORESTS SEEM TO DOMINATE THE LANDSCAPE,
BUT THESE DAYS THIS NATIVE SPECIES
IS FAR LESS ABUNDANT THAN IT USED TO BE.
TODAY, A MAJOR CONSERVATION EFFORT IS UNDERWAY
TO RESTORE NORTH CAROLINA'S PINES.
THESE TREES DON'T JUST MAKE FOR A PRETTY VIEW;
THEIR NATURAL STRENGTH AND DROUGHT RESISTANCE
COULD HELP BOLSTER THIS LANDSCAPE
IN THE FACE OF GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE.
SET AMONGST THESE TREES
IS ANOTHER EMBLEMATIC NORTH CAROLINA LANDSCAPE,
ONLY THIS ONE WAS CREATED BY PEOPLE.
GOLF MAY HAVE BEEN BORN IN SCOTLAND,
BUT NORTH CAROLINIANS HAVE ADOPTED IT AS THEIR OWN.
THERE ARE 43 COURSES HERE IN MOORE COUNTY ALONE.
THE FIRST OF THESE WAS PINEHURST RESORT.
IT WAS THE BRAINCHILD
OF BOSTON-BORN SODA FOUNTAIN MAGNATE JAMES WALKER TUFTS.
BACK IN 1895,
HE PURCHASED NEARLY 6,000 ACRES OF THIS LAND
FOR A LITTLE OVER A DOLLAR AN ACRE.
HE BUILT TWO HOTELS;
FIRST THE HOLLY INN,
AND THEN THE CAROLINA,
WITH A MASTER PLAN OF DEVELOPING A PEACEFUL RETREAT
FAR FROM THE AIR POLLUTION OF THE CITIES.
BUT WHEN HIS GUESTS TOOK IT UPON THEMSELVES
TO START PELTING LITTLE WHITE BALLS
INTO THE SURROUNDING COW PASTURES,
TUFTS DECIDED TO BUILD A PROPER GOLF COURSE.
HIS RESORT TURNED INTO A GOLF MECCA.
PINEHURST HAS HOSTED GOLF'S MOST LEGENDARY ICONS,
FROM BEN HOGAN TO PAYNE STEWART TO TIGER WOODS.
BUT WOODS WOULD NOT ALWAYS HAVE BEEN WELCOME HERE.
AFTER THE CIVIL WAR,
THE AMERICAN SOUTH ENACTED JIM CROW LAWS,
WHICH MANDATED THAT BLACKS AND WHITES BE SEPARATED
IN ALMOST ALL FACETS OF PUBLIC LIFE.
AT THE TIME,
THE SEATS AT THIS WOOLWORTH'S LUNCH COUNTER IN GREENSBORO
WERE FOR WHITES ONLY.
BLACKS COULD EAT HERE, BUT ONLY STANDING UP--
THAT IS UNTIL FOUR BLACK STUDENTS
DECIDED TO CHALLENGED THE RULES.
DAVID RICHMOND, FRANKLIN McCAIN,
EZELL BLAIR, JR., AND JOSEPH McNEIL
WERE FROM THE NEARBY NORTH CAROLINA AGRICULTURAL AND TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY,
ONE OF SEVERAL HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES IN THE STATE.
ON FEBRUARY 1, 1960,
THEY SAT DOWN AT THE WOOLWORTH'S LUNCH COUNTER
AND ASKED FOR A CUP OF COFFEE.
THEY WERE REFUSED SERVICE,
BUT RETURNED DAY AFTER DAY WITH THE SAME REQUEST,
AND EACH TIME WITH MORE AND MORE SUPPORTERS
SITTING BY THEIR SIDE.
THE MOVEMENT EXPLODED.
WITHIN JUST A FEW MONTHS, IT HAD SPREAD TO 54 CITIES NATIONWIDE.
WOOLWORTH'S FINALLY BOWED TO THE PRESSURE IN JULY OF 1960
AND DECIDED TO DESEGREGATE ITS LUNCH COUNTERS.
THE DREAM OF THE GREENSBORO FOUR
HAD BECOME A REALITY FOR A NATION.
A PORTION OF THE ORIGINAL LUNCH COUNTER IS ON EXHIBIT
AT THE SMITHSONIAN'S NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY.
WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA
LIES ROUGHLY 25 MILES WEST OF GREENSBORO.
IT'S A HEADQUARTERS FOR BIG TOBACCO.
BUT IT GOT ITS START HERE, IN OLD SALEM VILLAGE,
WHICH OFFERS A GLIMPSE OF EARLY EUROPEAN LIFE IN THE STATE.
OLD SALEM WAS ORIGINALLY SETTLED BY MORAVIAN IMMIGRANTS
AS FAR BACK AS 1766.
THEIR INFLUENCE CAN BE SEEN
IN THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE VILLAGE'S HISTORIC BUILDINGS.
TODAY, THIS 100-ACRE VILLAGE
IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MOST WELL-PRESERVED HISTORICAL SITES
IN THE UNITED STATES.
TWENTY MILES NORTHWEST OF WINSTON-SALEM,
THE REMNANTS OF THE ANCIENT SAURATOWN MOUNTAINS
STILL REACH FOR THE SKY.
AT THEIR HEART, PILOT MOUNTAIN.
A NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBE CALLED THE SAURA
ONCE INHABITED THIS LAND
AND CALLED THE MOUNTAIN JOMEOKEE,
WHICH MEANS GREAT GUIDE OR PILOT.
TRUE TO ITS NAME,
THIS MIGHTY PEAK HAS SERVED AS A GUIDEPOST
TO GENERATIONS OF TRAVELERS PASSING THIS WAY.
PILOT MOUNTAIN STATE PARK, ESTABLISHED IN 1968,
IS A FAVORITE DESTINATION FOR HIKERS.
BUT THE MOUNTAIN ITSELF MAY BE BETTER KNOWN AS THE BACK DROP
OF NATIVE SON ANDY GRIFFITH'S 1960s TV SHOW.
IN THE SHADOW OF PILOT MOUNTAIN
SITS THE TOWN OF MOUNT AIRY, NORTH CAROLINA,
THE INSPIRATION FOR THE FICTIONAL TOWN OF MAYBERRY
ON "THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW."
GRIFFITH LIVED HERE THROUGH THE 1940s,
WHEN MOUNT AIRY WAS HOME TO A THRIVING ECONOMY
BUILT ON GRANITE QUARRYING, TOBACCO FARMING,
AND FURNITURE MAKING.
BY THE 1980s,
THE FACTORIES HAD FALLEN QUIET AND THE MILLS HAD CLOSED.
DESPERATE TO KEEP THEIR TOWN ALIVE,
LOCALS TURNED TO TOURISM AS A SOURCE OF INCOME,
AND OF COURSE, THEY BEGAN PLAYING UP THEIR CONNECTION
TO THE FICTIONAL WORLD OF MAYBERRY.
CERTAIN PLACES MENTIONED IN THE SHOW
STILL EXIST IN TOWN,
LIKE THE SNAPPY LUNCH RESTAURANT.
ANDY GRIFFITH LONG DENIED ANY CONNECTION
BETWEEN MOUNT AIRY AND MAYBERRY.
BUT AFTER A 45-YEAR ABSENCE,
THE ACTOR RETURNED HERE FOR A VISIT IN 2003,
AND FINALLY ACKNOWLEDGED, WITH A GRIN,
THAT HIS HOMETOWN MAY HAVE INSPIRED MAYBERRY AFTER ALL.
LEAVING THE STATE'S TOWNS AND CITIES BEHIND
IS THE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY.
THIS HIGHWAY WAS BUILT AS PART OF A NEW DEAL PROGRAM
MEANT TO KEEP PEOPLE WORKING DURING THE WORST OF TIMES.
BUT IN THE PROCESS,
THE GOVERNMENT CREATED A THING OF BEAUTY.
STRETCHING THROUGH THE SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK
AND THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS,
THE PARKWAY'S 469 MILES, ROLLING FROM PEAK TO VALLEY,
ARE SOME OF THE MOST SCENIC IN THE STATE.
AS IT WINDS HIGH UP INTO THE APPALACHIANS,
THE PARKWAY PASSES OLD PIONEER FARMSTEADS
AND SNOW-DUSTED MOUNTAIN MEADOWS.
NORTH CAROLINA'S BLACK MOUNTAINS
CLAIM THE TALLEST PEAKS EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
THEY AREN'T ACTUALLY BLACK.
IT'S THE EVERGREEN FORESTS THAT DOMINATE THE RANGE
THAT GIVE THEM THEIR DARK APPEARANCE.
THE IDENTITY OF NORTH CAROLINA'S HIGHEST PEAK
WAS ONCE THE SOURCE OF GREAT DEBATE.
STANDING MORE THAN 6,000 FEET TALL,
MOUNT MITCHELL IS NAMED FOR THE MAN
WHO SETTLED THAT QUESTION ONCE AND FOR ALL.
IN THE EARLY 1800s,
GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN WAS SAID TO BE
THE HIGHEST PEAK IN THE REGION.
BUT DR. ELISHA MITCHELL, A PROFESSOR AT UNC CHAPEL HILL,
DISAGREED.
AFTER AN ELABORATE SERIES OF CALCULATIONS
USING BAROMETRIC PRESSURE READINGS,
HE DECLARED THIS PEAK, NOT GRANDFATHER,
TO BE THE TALLEST.
BUT HIS CLAIM WAS DISPUTED BY A U.S. SENATOR,
SO MITCHELL TOOK TO THE MOUNTAIN AGAIN FOR MORE MEASUREMENTS.
THIS EXPEDITION WAS HIS LAST.
ALONG THE WAY,
HE SLIPPED AND FELL INTO A WATERFALL,
WAS KNOCKED UNCONSCIOUS, AND DROWNED.
HE WAS LATER BURIED ON THE PEAK,
AND THE MOUNTAIN WAS NAMED "MOUNT MITCHELL" IN HIS HONOR.
MITCHELL WAS ULTIMATELY RIGHT.
THIS IS THE HIGHEST PEAK IN THE EASTERN UNITED STATES.
A FEW MILES AWAY LIES BURNETT RESERVOIR,
A LAKE DAMMED IN 1954
TO PROVIDE THE PEOPLE OF NEARBY ASHEVILLE WITH DRINKING WATER.
NESTLED IN THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS,
ASHEVILLE HAS BECOME A POPULAR RESORT TOWN AND ARTISTS' COLONY.
BUT IN EARLIER DAYS,
IT WAS ASHEVILLE'S COOL SUMMERS AND FRESH MOUNTAIN AIR
THAT DREW THE CROWDS.
THEY WERE SAID TO BE THE PERFECT TREATMENT FOR TUBERCULOSIS.
AUTHOR F. SCOTT FITZGERALD BOUGHT INTO THE CLAIMS
OF THE MOUNTAINS' RESTORATIVE POWERS.
A KNOWN HYPOCHONDRIAC,
FITZGERALD CAME TO ASHEVILLE'S GROVE PARK IN 1935
WITH THE HOPES OF CURING
HIS SELF-DIAGNOSED CASE OF TUBERCULOSIS.
BUT FITZGERALD SPENT LESS TIME TAKING IN THE MOUNTAIN AIR
THAN HE DID INDULGING IN LOCAL *** AND WOMEN.
HE CONTINUED HIS GALLIVANTING EVEN AFTER HIS WIFE ZELDA
HAD BEEN ADMITTED TO ASHEVILLE'S HIGHLAND MENTAL HOSPITAL.
BUT DURING HIS STAY AT GROVE PARK,
FITZGERALD SEEMED TO BE COMING UNDONE.
AFTER FIRING A REVOLVER IN HIS ROOM
IN A HALF-HEARTED SUICIDE ATTEMPT,
HE HAD TO BE ACCOMPANIED BY A PRIVATE NURSE
WHENEVER HE WAS ON THE PROPERTY.
FITZGERALD MOVED BACK TO HOLLYWOOD,
BUT POOR ZELDA DIED HERE IN ASHEVILLE
AFTER A FIRE BROKE OUT AT THE MENTAL HOSPITAL.
THE GROVE PARK INN IS STILL OPERATING TO THIS DAY
AND PROUDLY DISPLAYS PHOTOGRAPHS OF FITZGERALD
ALONGSIDE THOSE OF ITS MANY OTHER FAMOUS GUESTS.
DURING AMERICA'S GILDED AGE,
ASHEVILLE WAS ALSO A POPULAR GETAWAY SPOT
FOR AMERICA'S RICHEST INDUSTRIALISTS,
INCLUDING THE EDISONS, ROCKEFELLERS, AND VANDERBILTS,
SOME OF WHOM BUILT COUNTRY HOMES HERE.
ONE OF THEM
IS THE LARGEST PRIVATE HOUSE IN THE UNITED STATES.
THE BILTMORE ESTATE WAS CONSTRUCTED IN THE 1890s
BY 26-YEAR-OLD GEORGE WASHINGTON VANDERBILT,
GRANDSON OF CORNELIUS VANDERBILT,
THE FAMOUS NEW YORK RAILROAD TYCOON.
WITH VIRTUALLY UNLIMITED RESOURCES AT HIS DISPOSAL,
VANDERBILT'S FRENCH RENAISSANCE-STYLE ESTATE
TOOK MORE THAN SIX YEARS TO BUILD,
AND WAS SUCH A MASSIVE UNDERTAKING,
IT REQUIRED ITS OWN BRICK-MAKING FACTORY
AND A PRIVATE RAILWAY FOR DELIVERING MATERIALS.
THE FINISHED 250-ROOM MANSION
HAS 34 BEDROOMS AND 43 BATHROOMS.
WHEN IT CAME TO DESIGNING THE BILTMORE'S GROUNDS,
GEORGE VANDERBILT HIRED THE BEST OF THE BEST,
FREDERIC OLMSTEAD,
THE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT WHO CREATED NEW YORK'S CENTRAL PARK.
OLMSTEAD DESIGNED FORMAL GARDENS CLOSE TO THE HOUSE,
BUT HE ALSO REGENERATED FOREST AREAS AROUND THE ESTATE
BY TRANSPLANTING TREES AND ENCOURAGING NEW GROWTH.
IT WAS ONE OF THE COUNTRY'S
VERY FIRST FOREST CONSERVATION PROJECTS.
DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION,
ASHVILLE'S TOURIST TRADE WAS IN DECLINE.
SO THE VANDERBILT FAMILY
AGREED TO OPEN THE BILTMORE FOR PUBLIC TOURS.
TODAY THE ESTATE IS VISITED
BY MORE THAN A MILLION PEOPLE A YEAR.
WHILE THE BILTMORE WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION,
GEORGE VANDERBILT BEGAN ACQUIRING ACREAGE AROUND THE PROPERTY
TO USE AS A PRIVATE HUNTING RETREAT.
THIS IS JUST ONE OF THE PARCELS HE BOUGHT--
MOUNT PISGAH.
LOGGING HERE HAD CUT WIDE GASHES INTO THE LANDSCAPE.
BUT VANDERBILT HIRED FORESTERS TO MANAGE THE LAND
AND BRING THIS FOREST BACK TO LIFE.
ONE OF THESE, GERMAN-BORN CARL SCHENCK,
WENT ON TO ESTABLISH THE BILTMORE FOREST SCHOOL,
THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN THE UNITED STATES.
IN 1914, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT BOUGHT 87,000 ACRES OF THIS LAND
FROM HIS ESTATE
AND TURNED IT INTO THE PISGAH NATIONAL FOREST.
IT'S BEST KNOWN AS THE HOME TO COLD MOUNTAIN,
THE TITLE OF THE BESTSELLING CIVIL WAR NOVEL
WRITTEN BY ASHEVILLE NATIVE CHARLES FRAZIER,
AND LATER ADAPTED INTO A FILM BY ANTHONY MINGHELLA.
STRADDLING THE NORTH CAROLINA- TENNESSEE BORDER
IS THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK,
THE MOST VISITED NATIONAL PARK IN AMERICA.
THESE GREAT GIANTS
WERE FORMED SOME 200 TO 300 MILLION YEARS AGO.
THEY ARE AT LEAST THREE TIMES OLDER THAN THE ROCKIES.
THE CHEROKEE, WHO ONCE MADE THEIR HOME HERE,
CALLED THIS MOUNTAIN RANGE "THE PLACE OF BLUE SMOKE,"
BECAUSE OF THE HAZE
THAT REGULARLY ENVELOPS THE MOUNTAINTOPS.
LUMBER COMPANIES ROLLED IN
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 20th CENTURY
AND NEARLY DESTROYED THESE FORESTS FOR GOOD,
CHOPPING DOWN TWO-THIRDS OF THE TREES IN JUST 20 YEARS.
THANKS TO WIDESPREAD PROTESTS AGAINST CLEAR-CUTTING,
CONGRESS TURNED THIS LAND INTO A NATIONAL PARK IN 1934.
SINCE THEN, THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN FORESTS HAVE REBOUNDED WELL
AND NOW SUPPORT NEARLY 400 ANIMAL SPECIES.
WHILE THE STATE'S COAST AND MOUNTAINS
ARE KNOWN FOR THEIR UNSPOILED BEAUTY,
A WORLD AWAY STANDS CHARLOTTE,
THE BIGGEST CITY IN NORTH CAROLINA.
NAMED FOR PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF MECKLENBURG,
KING GEORGE III'S WIFE,
THIS HAS BEEN A BUSTLING TOWN EVER SINCE THE LATE 1700s,
WHEN THE FIRST GOLD NUGGET EVER FOUND IN THE U.S.
WAS DISCOVERED NEARBY.
DURING THE LATE 20th CENTURY,
CHARLOTTE TRANSFORMED ITSELF
FROM A SLEEPY TEXTILE MANUFACTURING TOWN
INTO A SLICK FINANCIAL SERVICES HUB,
THE COUNTRY'S SECOND LARGEST AFTER NEW YORK.
RISING 60 STORIES,
THE BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATE CENTER,
COMPLETED IN 1992,
ISN'T JUST THE TALLEST BUILDING ON THE CHARLOTTE SKYLINE;
IT'S THE TALLEST IN THE ENTIRE STATE.
ALL OF THE HIGH-RISES HERE
ARE A REMINDER OF CHARLOTTE'S BUSINESS PROWESS.
BUT ONE OF THE TOWN'S MOST IMPORTANT INDUSTRIES
IS GOOD OLD-FASHIONED CAR RACING.
NASCAR, THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR STOCK CAR AUTO RACING,
IS HEADQUARTERED IN FLORIDA,
BUT IT CALLS CHARLOTTE ITS HOMETOWN.
THREE-QUARTERS OF ITS EMPLOYEES ARE BASED IN OR AROUND THE CITY.
TODAY, NASCAR IS AMERICA'S FASTEST GROWING SPORT,
SECOND ONLY TO THE NFL WHEN IT COMES TO TV VIEWERS.
AND FANS COME HERE,
TO THE CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY, JUST NORTH OF THE CITY.
BUILT IN 1959,
THE SPEEDWAY HAS EMERGED AS A LEADING NASCAR RACETRACK.
NINE OUT OF TEN NASCAR TEAMS ARE BASED CLOSE BY,
THRILLING SELLOUT CROWDS WITH THEIR EXHILARATING SPEED.
JUST 20 MILES AWAY, THE TOWN OF KANNAPOLIS
CELEBRATES THE SPORT OF AUTO RACING IN A QUIETER WAY.
THIS IS THE HOMETOWN
OF LEGENDARY DRIVER, DALE EARNHARDT,
AND IT WAS HERE THAT HE FIRST DEVELOPED
THE AGGRESSIVE DRIVING TECHNIQUES
THAT LATER EARNED HIM THE NICKNAME "THE INTIMIDATOR."
EARNHARDT WAS KILLED
ON THE LAST LAP OF THE 2001 DAYTONA 500
WHEN HIS CAR SMASHED INTO A CONCRETE RETAINING WALL
AT 160 MILES AN HOUR.
IN HIS MEMORY,
KANNAPOLIS RENAMED ITS MAJOR THOROUGHFARE
DALE EARNHARDT BOULEVARD
AND ERECTED A 9-FOOT-TALL BRONZE STATUE IN HIS HONOR.
THERE ARE SEVEN STEPS DESCENDING INTO THE RACETRACK-SHAPED PLAZA,
EACH REPRESENTING ONE OF THE SEVEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
EARNHARDT WON OVER HIS BRILLIANT CAREER.
SET ON THE CAPE FEAR RIVER
JUST 20 MILES FROM THE ATLANTIC OCEAN,
WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA, IS ALSO KNOWN AS "PORT CITY."
DURING THE CIVIL WAR,
WILMINGTON PLAYED A CRITICAL ROLE FOR THE CONFEDERATE ARMY.
FORT FISHER,
NICKNAMED THE "GIBRALTAR OF THE CONFEDERACY,"
GUARDED OVER THE PORT,
WHICH WAS PART OF A KEY SUPPLY ROUTE
TO CONFEDERATE TROOPS STATIONED INLAND.
ON JANUARY 15, 1865,
UNION TROOPS ATTACKED FROM THE SEA
AND DEFEATED THE FORT.
THE LOSS OF THIS VITAL SUPPLY ROUTE
CONTRIBUTED TO THE SOUTH'S IMMINENT SURRENDER.
MOORED JUST ACROSS THE RIVER FROM DOWNTOWN
IS THE USS NORTH CAROLINA.
WHEN THIS SHIP WAS FIRST LAUNCHED
FROM THE NEW YORK NAVY YARD IN BROOKLYN IN 1940,
SHE WAS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE GREATEST WEAPONS
IN THE NAVY'S ARSENAL.
THE FIRST OF TEN HIGH-SPEED BATTLESHIPS
BUILT FOR WORLD WAR II,
HER MAIN JOB
WAS TO PROTECT AIRCRAFT CARRIERS FROM ENEMY ATTACK.
IT TOOK MORE THAN 2,000 SAILORS TO OPERATE THE SHIP.
THE USS NORTH CAROLINA SERVED NOBLY DURING THE WAR,
SAILING OVER 300,000 MILES
AND SEEING ACTION IN EVERY MAJOR PACIFIC BATTLE,
INCLUDING IWO JIMA AND GUADALCANAL.
ON SIX OCCASIONS,
THE JAPANESE CLAIMED TO HAVE SUNK THIS SHIP,
BUT SHE SKIRTED DISASTER EVERY TIME,
THOUGH SHE DID SURVIVE PLENTY OF NEAR MISSES,
INCLUDING A COLLISION WITH A JAPANESE TORPEDO IN 1942.
ALL TOLD, SHE ONLY LOST TEN MEN DURING THE ENTIRE WAR.
THE USS NORTH CAROLINA WAS DE-COMMISSIONED IN JUNE 1947
AND SCHEDULED TO BE TURNED INTO SCRAP METAL.
BUT THE PEOPLE OF NORTH CAROLINA WOULDN'T HEAR OF IT.
THANKS TO A STATEWIDE CAMPAIGN, THE SHIP WAS SAVED
AND BROUGHT TO ITS NEW HOME HERE IN WILMINGTON IN 1961.
BUT THERE'S MUCH MORE TO WILMINGTON
THAN ITS MILITARY HISTORY.
IT'S ALSO KNOWN FOR ITS PICTURESQUE COAST.
THIS STRETCH OF SAND, CALLED HOLDEN BEACH,
LOOKS MUCH AS IT HAS FOR THE LAST FIFTY YEARS.
OFFSHORE, SHRIMP BOATS HEAD HOME WITH THE DAY'S CATCH.
IT'S NO WONDER THIS COAST
HAS DRAWN THE ATTENTION OF HOLLYWOOD'S CAMERAS.
MOVIE WATCHERS MIGHT RECOGNIZE THIS VERY BEACH
IN THE BACKGROUND OF A FILM OR TV SHOW.
MORE THAN 400 MOTION PICTURES AND TELEVISION SHOWS
HAVE BEEN PRODUCED IN WILMINGTON,
INCLUDING "BLUE VELVET," "FORREST GUMP,"
AND "THE HUDSUCKER PROXY."
MOVIE PRODUCER FRANK CAPRA, JR.,
WAS SO SMITTEN WITH THIS AREA OF NORTH CAROLINA,
HE TALKED HIS FRIEND,
THE LATE ITALIAN FILMMAKER DINO DE LAURENTIIS,
INTO BUILDING A STUDIO HERE.
THEIR COMPANY, SCREEN GEMS STUDIOS,
REMAINS ONE OF THE LARGEST TV AND MOVIE PRODUCTION COMPANIES
OUTSIDE OF HOLLYWOOD.
FROM ITS SUNLIT OUTER BANKS, WHERE PIRATES ONCE REIGNED,
TO DARK INLAND FORESTS
AND A ROCKY PEAK THAT'S GUIDED TRAVELERS FOR CENTURIES,
NORTH CAROLINA BY AIR
IS A CHANCE TO UNDERSTAND THE COMPELLING HISTORY
OF ONE OF AMERICA'S FIRST COLONIES.
FROM STORIES OF ITS EARLIEST INHABITANTS
AND THE EUROPEANS WHO TRIED TO SETTLE ITS SHORES
TO THE FOUR CIVIL RIGHTS HEROES
WHO DARED TO CHALLENGE ITS RULES,
TODAY NORTH CAROLINA IS HOME TO ENDURING MYSTERY,
GIANT INDUSTRY,
AND FAMOUS INSTITUTIONS
THAT MAY BE THIS SOUTHERN STATE'S
GREATEST LEGACY OF ALL.