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MARYLAND AND DELAWARE.
TWO STATES BORDERED BY THE ATLANTIC
AND THE GREAT BAYS OF THE EASTERN SEABOARD.
STATES WITH GREAT CITIES THAT TELL THE STORY
OF AMERICA'S INDUSTRIAL HISTORY,
WHILE MARVELS OF MODERN ENGINEERING SPAN THEIR BAYS.
AND FAMOUS TRIBUTES TO THE AGE OF SAIL AND STEAM.
[CANNON BOOMS]
STATES WITH A HISTORY OF TERRIBLE DIVISION,
A LAND STAINED WITH THE BLOOD OF BROTHER FIGHTING BROTHER
DURING ONE OF THE WORST BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR.
AND A LAND OF WINDING RIVERS AND CREEKS
THAT HELPED SLAVES ESCAPE TO FREEDOM.
AWAY FROM THE TOWNS AND CITIES,
MARYLAND AND DELAWARE OFFER RIDGE AFTER RIDGE OF MOUNTAINS,
MILES OF COASTLINE, AND QUIET RESERVES
WHERE SERENITY IS GUARANTEED.
THEY HAVE A SHARED HISTORY AND A RICH AND VARIED LANDSCAPE.
AND ALTHOUGH THEY ARE AMONG THE SMALLEST STATES
IN THE UNION, OUR AERIAL JOURNEY REVEALS THEIR GIANT STATURE
IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICA.
IN A DAILY RITUAL NEARLY 200 YEARS OLD,
VOLUNTEERS RAISE A GIANT 15-STAR FLAG
ON A BLUSTERY MORNING IN MARYLAND.
IT'S A REPLICA OF THE ORIGINAL FLAG,
SEWN BY WIDOW MARY PICKERSGILL,
WHICH SURVIVED A FEROCIOUS BATTLE IN THE WAR OF 1812,
AND IS NOW ENSHRINED AS A NATIONAL ICON
IN THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.
ON SEPTEMBER 13, 1814, THE STAR-SHAPED FORT McHENRY
WAS ALL THAT STOOD BETWEEN THE BRITISH
AND MARYLAND'S GREATEST CITY, BALTIMORE.
AGAINST OVERWHELMING ODDS,
THE FORT WITHSTOOD 25 HOURS OF BOMBARDMENT
BY BRITISH WARSHIPS AND A ROCKET VESSEL.
ON A BOAT ON THE PATAPSCO RIVER,
A YOUNG POET WITNESSED THE BATTLE THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT.
WHEN HE SAW THE FLAG STILL FLYING AFTER THE ONSLAUGHT,
HE WROTE THESE FAMOUS LINES:
"O SAY DOES THAT STAR-SPANGLED BANNER YET WAVE
O'ER THE LAND OF THE FREE AND THE HOME OF THE BRAVE."
[STAR-SPANGLED BANNER PLAYING]
FRANCIS SCOTT KEY NAMED HIS POEM "THE DEFENSE OF FORT McHENRY."
IT WAS LATER RENAMED "THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER."
IN 1931 IT BECAME AMERICA'S NATIONAL ANTHEM.
DURING THE CIVIL WAR, MARYLAND WAS ONE
OF THE MOST CONTESTED STATES IN THE UNION.
HERE AT ANTIETAM, IN THE FAR WEST OF THE STATE,
ARE THE SOMBER MEMORIALS
TO THE SCENE OF THE SINGLE BLOODIEST DAY OF FIGHTING
IN AMERICAN HISTORY.
WITH A VIEW EXTENDING ALL THE WAY TO THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS,
GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE GATHERED HIS CONFEDERATE FORCES
ON THE HIGH GROUND WEST OF ANTIETAM CREEK
AS THE UNION ARMY ADVANCED FROM THE EAST.
DAWN BROKE ON SEPTEMBER 17, 1862,
WITH THE ROAR OF 500 CANNONS.
THROUGH THE DAY, SMOKE FILLED THE AIR.
THE OLD STONE BRIDGE CROSSING AT ANTIETAM CREEK
WAS THE SCENE OF MAJOR COMBAT AS UNION FORCES
TRIED TO TAKE THE BRIDGE FROM THE CONFEDERATES.
FIGHTING WAS SO BITTER ON THIS DAY,
NEARLY 23,000 UNION AND CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS
WERE KILLED OR WOUNDED.
ONE SOLDIER LATER WROTE,
"THE WHOLE LANDSCAPE FOR AN INSTANT TURNED RED."
THE MASSIVE LOSSES HALTED LEE'S ADVANCE NORTH
AND ALLOWED THE UNION TO CLAIM A STRATEGIC VICTORY.
TODAY, MARYLAND REMEMBERS THE SACRIFICES
MADE BY THESE YOUNG AMERICANS
AND HOW A TURNING POINT IN THE NATION'S HISTORY
HAPPENED ON HER SOIL.
MARYLAND IS A STATE DEFINED AS MUCH BY WATER AS IT IS BY LAND,
SEPARATED BY THE LARGEST FRESHWATER ESTUARY
IN THE UNITED STATES: THE CHESAPEAKE BAY.
WITH ITS MAZE OF TRIBUTARIES, CREEKS AND PONDS,
THE BAY COVERS MORE THAN 4,000 SQUARE MILES--
AN AREA SO VAST, IT COULD SWALLOW
THE ENTIRE STATE OF DELAWARE, WITH ROOM TO SPARE.
FOR CENTURIES, THE ONLY WAY TO CROSS THE BAY WAS BY BOAT.
BUT IN 1952, A MARVEL OF ENGINEERING EMERGED:
THE CHESAPEAKE BAY BRIDGE.
ALTHOUGH MANY GROUPS OPPOSED THE BRIDGE
AS BRINGING UNWANTED DEVELOPMENT,
IT PROVIDED A FAST LINK
BETWEEN THE RURAL AREAS OF EASTERN MARYLAND
AND THE CITY OF BALTIMORE.
TODAY, 27 MILLION VEHICLES A YEAR
TRAVEL UNDER THE SUSPENSION BRIDGE TOWERS,
WHICH SOAR 379 FEET SKYWARD.
WHEN THE ORIGINAL SPAN OPENED AT A LENGTH OF 4.3 MILES,
IT WAS THE LONGEST CONTINUOUS OVER-WATER STEEL STRUCTURE,
AND THE THIRD LONGEST BRIDGE IN THE WORLD.
A FEW MILES WEST OF THE BRIDGE,
A NEAT FLOTILLA OF DINGHIES LIES READY
FOR TRAINING THE NATION'S LATEST MIDSHIPMEN.
FOUNDED IN 1845, THE U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY
DOMINATES THE CITY OF ANNAPOLIS
AND SHOUTS OF "GO NAVY!" RALLY THE FAITHFUL EACH FALL.
GENERATIONS OF U.S. NAVAL OFFICERS
HAVE SLEPT AND STUDIED WITHIN THESE AUSTERE BUILDINGS.
ANNAPOLIS WAS FOUNDED AT THE MOUTH OF THE SEVERN RIVER
IN 1649 BY PURITANS WHO WERE FLEEING PERSECUTION IN VIRGINIA.
FIRST CALLED PROVIDENCE,
IT QUICKLY ESTABLISHED ITSELF AS A PROSPEROUS PORT
FOR EXPORTING MARYLAND TOBACCO TO LONDON.
BY THE END OF THE 17th CENTURY,
PROVIDENCE WAS MADE STATE CAPITAL AND RENAMED ANNAPOLIS
IN HONOR OF PRINCESS ANNE, HEIR TO THE BRITISH THRONE.
IN THE CENTER OF TOWN
IS ONE OF THE MOST UNIQUE STRUCTURES IN AMERICA:
THE DOME OF THE MARYLAND STATE HOUSE.
COMPLETED IN 1797, IT'S MADE ENTIRELY OF WOOD,
WITHOUT A SINGLE METAL NAIL,
AND IS THE LARGEST OF ITS KIND IN THE COUNTRY.
IT'S THOUGHT TO BE MODELED AFTER A CHURCH DOME IN GERMANY.
AROUND THE STATE HOUSE IS ONE OF THE GREATEST CONCENTRATIONS
OF 18th CENTURY HOMES STILL STANDING
ANYWHERE IN AMERICA.
HEADING SOUTH, A NAVY JET TRAINER
PERFORMS TEXTBOOK MANEUVERS
ALONG THE WESTERN SHORELINE OF CHESAPEAKE BAY.
IT'S AN F-5 TIGER, THE SAME TYPE
THAT MASQUERADED AS THE SOVIET PLANES IN THE MOVIE TOP GUN.
IT'S FROM THE NAVAL AIR STATION
AT THE MOUTH OF THE PATUXENT RIVER.
HERE, YOUNG PILOTS GAIN THEIR FIRST TASTE OF SUPERSONIC FLIGHT
AND TARGET PRACTICE ON OLD HANNIBAL.
THIS WORLD WAR II LIBERTY SHIP IS GROUNDED
ON THE SEA FLOOR JUST 20 FEET BELOW.
THE HOLES YOU SEE IN ITS SIDE
COME FROM BEING RIDDLED WITH 50-CALIBER BULLETS.
70 YEARS OLD, IT'S STILL READY FOR A FEW MORE YEARS
OF MACHINE GUN FIRE.
A FEW MILES SOUTHEAST OF OLD HANNIBAL LIES SMITH ISLAND,
A TINY SPOT OF LAND IN THE MIDDLE OF CHESAPEAKE BAY.
ONLY HALF OF ITS TOTAL AREA IS MADE UP OF DRY OR USABLE LAND,
AND MORE IS LOST TO THE BAY EVERY YEAR.
260 FULL-TIME RESIDENTS,
MOST OF THEM DESCENDANTS OF THE ISLAND'S ORIGINAL SETTLERS,
STILL CLING TO A WAY OF LIFE HERE
THAT HAS EXISTED FOR CENTURIES.
TODAY'S ISLANDERS STILL SPEAK A BROGUE-LIKE DIALECT
THAT CONTAINS REMNANTS OF SPEECH
SUGGESTING ITS ELIZABETHAN ORIGINS.
OVER THE LAST CENTURY, 3,300 ACRES OF ITS WETLANDS
HAVE BEEN LOST TO THE BAY, THE VICTIMS OF EROSION AND,
SCIENTISTS SAY, RISING SEA LEVELS.
FOR ISLANDERS, THE DAYS OF MAKING A LIVING
FROM THE SEA AROUND THEM MAY SOON BE GONE.
WITH THE NEXT BIG HURRICANE
THE ISLAND AND ITS LONG HERITAGE COULD DISAPPEAR FOREVER.
THE ASH WEDNESDAY STORM OF 1962
WAS ONE OF THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE EVER TO HIT MARYLAND.
THE STORM CAUSED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN PROPERTY DAMAGE
ALONG THE STATE'S BARRIER ISLAND COASTLINE.
AS A RESULT OF THE STORM, MARYLAND DECIDED TO PROTECT
THIS 37-MILE STRETCH OF PRISTINE BEACH FROM FUTURE DEVELOPMENT.
IT IS NOW CALLED ASSATEAGUE ISLAND NATIONAL REFUGE.
THERE ARE NO HOUSES HERE, JUST CAMPSITES.
THIS ONE BECOMES A TENT CITY DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS.
AND EVEN THOUGH THE BEACH CONTINUES
TO BE THREATENED BY STORMS, THOUSANDS OF MIGRATING BIRDS
STILL CALL IT HOME EVERY YEAR.
BUT NOT ALL OF MARYLAND'S SEASHORE IS WILD.
AT THE NORTH TIP
OF THE ASSATEAGUE ISLAND NATIONAL REFUGE
LIES ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR RESORT TOWNS IN THE COUNTRY:
OCEAN CITY.
THOUGH ITS PERMANENT POPULATION IS LESS THAN 8,000,
IT'S HOME TO MORE THAN 300,000 PEOPLE ON MOST SUMMER WEEKENDS.
LOCATED ON THE BOARDWALK,
TRIMPER'S RIDES HAS BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR OVER A CENTURY.
WHEN MARYLAND'S CHESAPEAKE BAY BRIDGE WAS FINISHED IN 1952,
VACATIONERS FLOCKED HERE FROM BALTIMORE AND WASHINGTON, D.C.
DEVELOPERS HAVE SINCE BUILT MORE THAN 10,000 CONDOMINIUMS
CLOSE TO THE WATER TO KEEP UP WITH DEMAND.
BUT THE PROBLEM IS,
OCEAN CITY'S FAMOUS SANDY BEACH IS SHRINKING.
RISING SEA LEVELS ARE THREATENING THE TOWN.
ALTHOUGH MANY OPPOSE REPLENISHING
A NATURALLY ERODING BARRIER ISLAND,
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ARE SPENT EACH YEAR
TO PUMP SAND BACK ONTO THE BEACH.
AND MARYLAND'S SANDY ATLANTIC SHORELINE
ISN'T THE ONLY COASTAL AREA UNDER THREAT.
IN SOME PLACES ON THE CHESAPEAKE BAY,
WATER LEVELS ROSE ONE FOOT OVER THE 20th CENTURY.
HERE, LEGENDARY EXPLORER CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH
UNDERTOOK A 3,000-MILE ODYSSEY AROUND THE BAY IN 1608.
TODAY, MODERN-DAY SAILORS CAN FOLLOW IN THE WAKE
OF SMITH'S EPIC VOYAGE
ALONG THE FIRST NATIONAL WATER TRAIL IN THE COUNTRY.
IN HIS JOURNALS, SMITH DESCRIBED THE LAND AROUND THE BAY
AS "THE MOST PLEASANT PLACE EVER KNOWN."
ON THE WEST SIDE OF CHESAPEAKE BAY,
POINT LOOKOUT IS A HAVEN FOR MIGRATING BIRDS.
BUILT IN 1830, THE POINT LOOKOUT LIGHT
STANDS AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE POTOMAC RIVER.
THE LIGHTHOUSE WAS RUN FOR 17 YEARS BY ANN DAVIS,
THE DAUGHTER OF THE LIGHT'S ORIGINAL KEEPER,
WHO DIED JUST THREE MONTHS AFTER TAKING THE JOB.
POINT LOOKOUT ALSO SERVED AS A CIVIL WAR PRISON.
MORE THAN 4,000 CONFEDERATE PRISONERS DIED HERE
UNDER AWFUL CONDITIONS.
THE LIGHTHOUSE WAS FINALLY CLOSED IN 1965.
NOW IT'S POPULAR WITH GHOST HUNTERS
WHO CLAIM THE LIGHT IS HAUNTED.
A FEW MILES TO THE NORTH, A TOWN LOOKS TRAPPED IN TIME.
ST. MARY'S CITY WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1634.
FOR MORE THAN 60 YEARS IT SERVED AS CAPITAL
OF THE COLONY OF MARYLAND.
BUT IN 1695,
THE SEAT OF GOVERNMENT WAS MOVED TO ANNAPOLIS
AND ST. MARY'S CITY WAS ABANDONED.
FOR THREE CENTURIES THE TOWN'S REMAINS LAY CONCEALED
BUT PRESERVED BENEATH FIELDS OF CORN AND WHEAT.
TODAY RECONSTRUCTIONS OF THOSE REMAINS PROVIDE UNIQUE INSIGHT
INTO THE VALUES OF THE EARLY COLONISTS.
WHEN THEY PLANNED THEIR NEW TOWN,
THEY PLACED A NEW CHURCH AT ONE END
AND THE STATE HOUSE AT THE OTHER,
EVIDENCE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SEPARATION
OF CHURCH AND STATE FOR THE TOWN'S FOUNDERS.
DESPITE BEING THE CAPITAL,
FEW FAMILIES ACTUALLY LIVED IN ST. MARY'S CITY YEAR ROUND.
THEY SPENT MOST OF THEIR TIME
LIVING AND WORKING ON THEIR TOBACCO PLANTATIONS.
TODAY ST. MARY'S CITY IS ONE OF THE FINEST
17th CENTURY COLONIAL ARCHAEOLOGY SITES IN THE NATION,
AND IT'S STILL BORDERED BY FARMLAND.
AGRICULTURE IS MARYLAND'S LARGEST
COMMERCIAL INDUSTRY TODAY,
POWERED IN PART BY FIELDS OF WHEAT, SOYBEANS, AND CORN.
BUT FOR CENTURIES, THE ONLY CROP GROWING
IN FIELDS LIKE THESE WAS TOBACCO.
AND JUST AS IN VIRGINIA,
SLAVE LABOR POWERED MARYLAND'S PLANTATIONS.
IN THIS DORCHESTER COUNTY FIELD, A PLAQUE MARKS THE BIRTHPLACE
OF A YOUNG GIRL BORN INTO SLAVERY AROUND 1820.
HER NAME WAS HARRIET TUBMAN.
SHE WOULD GO ON TO BECOME
ONE OF THE MOST CELEBRATED CONDUCTORS
OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD.
EVEN TODAY, THE EXACT ROUTES OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
REMAIN A MYSTERY.
BUT AT A TIME WHEN EVERYTHING MOVED BY BOAT,
THE RIVERS AND CREEKS ALONG MARYLAND'S EASTERN SHORE
WERE KEY LINKS IN THE ROUTE TO FREEDOM.
WELL-TRAVELED ROADS WERE FAR TOO DANGEROUS FOR FUGITIVE SLAVES.
BUT THE RIVERS AND SWAMPS PROVIDED SAFE TRANSPORT
AND THE CHANCE TO COVER ONE'S TRACKS.
TUBMAN CAME TO KNOW THE WATERY TERRAIN AS A GIRL
BECAUSE SHE WAS OFTEN HIRED OUT TO NEIGHBORING FARMS.
HER KNOWLEDGE OF THE BACKWATER TRAILS WOULD LATER HELP HER
GUIDE HUNDREDS OF SLAVES TO FREEDOM.
ONE ROUTE SHE MAY HAVE USED WAS THE CHOPTANK RIVER,
A WATER HIGHWAY THAT FLOWED
FROM CAROLINE AND DORCHESTER COUNTIES
SOME 70 MILES NORTH, ENDING WITHIN A DAY'S TRAVEL
TO THE FREE STATE OF DELAWARE.
TUBMAN MADE HER OWN ESCAPE TO FREEDOM IN 1849.
WHILE MOST NEVER LOOKED BACK AFTER THEIR ESCAPE,
HARRIET TUBMAN MADE THE PERILOUS JOURNEY BACK TO THE SOUTH
19 TIMES TO LEAD MORE THAN 300 SLAVES TO FREEDOM.
BY 1856 THERE WAS A $40,000 BOUNTY ON HER HEAD.
TUBMAN BECAME KNOWN AS MOSES,
THE NAME GIVEN TO HER BY THE SLAVES
SHE HELPED DELIVER TO THE PROMISED LAND.
FREDERICK DOUGLASS WROTE: "EXCEPTING JOHN BROWN,
I KNOW OF NO ONE WHO HAS WILLINGLY ENCOUNTERED
MORE PERILS AND HARDSHIPS TO SERVE OUR ENSLAVED PEOPLE
THAN HARRIET TUBMAN."
AWAY TO THE WEST OF THE STATE,
THE COUNTRYSIDE OPENS INTO WOODLANDS
AND THE GENTLY ROLLING HILLS OF WASHINGTON COUNTY.
THE BEST VIEWS OF THE AREA CAN BE HAD ATOP A STONE TOWER
KNOWN AS THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT.
THIS RUGGED STONE EDIFICE,
THE FIRST MONUMENT ERECTED IN HONOR OF GEORGE WASHINGTON,
WAS DEDICATED IN 1827,
ALMOST 60 YEARS BEFORE THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT
IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
AS A YOUNG MAN, WASHINGTON WAS A FREQUENT TRAVELER HERE,
FIRST IN HIS JOB AS A SURVEYOR
AND LATER AS A LEADER OF THE COLONIAL ARMY.
MOVING WEST, THE ROLLING HILLS GIVE WAY TO RIDGE AFTER RIDGE
OF THE ALLEGHENY MOUNTAINS,
A LANDSCAPE OF STUNNING FOREST STILL IN FULL LEAF.
HERE, MARYLAND IS SANDWICHED BY WEST VIRGINIA TO THE SOUTH
AND PENNSYLVANIA TO THE NORTH.
AT ONE POINT, THE STATE IS JUST A MILE AND A HALF WIDE.
NO OTHER STATE IN THE U.S. IS SO NARROW.
FOR EARLY PIONEERS, THESE MOUNTAINS
MADE THEIR JOURNEY WEST TOUGH GOING.
TODAY, U.S. ROUTE 40 CUTS RIGHT THROUGH THESE HILLS
AND FOLLOWS THE ROUTE
OF THE FIRST FEDERALLY FUNDED TURNPIKE IN AMERICA.
BUILT IN 1811 AND CALLED "THE NATIONAL ROAD,"
IT'S REGARDED AS THE ROAD THAT BUILT AMERICA.
THE 620-MILE HIGHWAY OFFERED SETTLERS A GATEWAY
THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS
TO THE FERTILE OHIO VALLEY AND BEYOND.
THE ROAD ORIGINATED HERE IN THE TOWN OF CUMBERLAND,
ON THE STATE BORDER WITH WEST VIRGINIA.
IT CAME TO BE KNOWN AS "THE GATEWAY TO THE WEST."
BUT IN THE 1840s, THE RAILWAY ARRIVED IN CUMBERLAND
AND THE NATIONAL ROAD WAS OVERTAKEN BY THE IRON HORSE.
CUMBERLAND BECAME A MAJOR HUB OF THE B&O RAILROAD,
WITH CONNECTIONS FROM NEW YORK TO PITTSBURGH.
TRAINS ALSO ARRIVED FROM MARYLAND'S LARGEST CITY,
AND THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE AMERICAN RAILROAD: BALTIMORE.
IN THE SOUTHWEST OF THE CITY BY THE BAY,
ENTHUSIASTS TAKE THE WILLIAM MASON ALONG THE TRACKS
TO THE BALTIMORE & OHIO RAILROAD MUSEUM.
THIS IS THE OLDEST STEAM TRAIN OPERATING IN THE NATION.
YOU MAY HAVE SEEN IT
IN THE WILL SMITH MOVIE WILD, WILD WEST,
PAINTED IN BLACK AND NAMED "THE WANDERER."
THE MUSEUM COLLECTION SITS COMFORTABLY
WITHIN THIS IMPRESSIVE ROUNDHOUSE,
ONCE THE LARGEST CIRCULAR INDUSTRIAL BUILDING
IN THE WORLD.
INSIDE, 15,000 INDIVIDUAL ARTIFACTS TELL THE STORY
OF AMERICA'S RAILROAD HISTORY
IN A CITY CONSIDERED TO BE THE BIRTHPLACE OF RAILROADING.
BALTIMORE'S HISTORY IS THE TALE OF A TOUGH PORT CITY
BUILT BY GENERATIONS OF IMMIGRANTS.
ITS ARCHITECTURE, A MIX OF ELEGANCE AND GRIT.
FROM THE AIR, BALTIMORE APPEARS AS A GRID
OF TENS OF THOUSANDS OF BRICK ROW HOUSES.
BUT ON THE GROUND, INVISIBLE BOUNDARIES STILL DEFINE
THE ETHNIC NEIGHBORHOODS ESTABLISHED BY IMMIGRANTS
WHO CAME TO WORK IN THE SHIPYARDS AND STEEL WORKS.
DURING WORLD WAR II, BALTIMORE'S BETHLEHEM STEEL
WAS ONE OF THE LARGEST STEEL MILLS IN THE WORLD,
EMPLOYING 300,000 WORKERS
AND PRODUCING STEEL FOR GUNS AND WARSHIPS.
IT WAS HERE THAT THE STEEL GIRDERS
OF SAN FRANCISCO'S GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE WERE MADE.
BUT BY 2001, DEMAND FOR U.S. STEEL WAS SO LOW
THAT BETHLEHEM STEEL FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY
AND ITS ASSETS WERE SOLD OFF.
THE SPARROWS POINT PLANT NOW WORKS AT FAR BELOW CAPACITY.
BUT FOR THE MOMENT,
STEEL CONTINUES TO BE MADE IN BALTIMORE.
ONE REASON STEEL PLANTS AND OTHER INDUSTRIES
FLOCKED TO BALTIMORE WAS ITS PORT.
EVER SINCE THE TOWN WAS FOUNDED IN 1729,
THE DEEP, SHELTERED WATERS OF THE PATAPSCO RIVER
HAVE MADE IT AN IDEAL ARRIVAL POINT FOR CARGO SHIPS.
MODERN CONTAINER VESSELS UNLOAD THEIR CARGO
JUST AS THEY HAVE FOR CENTURIES,
ALTHOUGH THE SCALE TODAY MIGHT AMAZE THE CITY'S FOREBEARS.
JUST OFF THE DOCKS, ROW AFTER NEAT ROW OF CARS AND TRUCKS
AWAIT TRANSPORT THROUGHOUT AMERICA.
EACH YEAR, A STAGGERING HALF A MILLION AUTOMOBILES
FROM AROUND THE WORLD ARRIVE HERE
TO BEGIN LIFE ON AMERICAN ROADS.
BUT IT'S NOT JUST CARS AND GOODS
THAT HAVE CROSSED THESE PIERS IN NUMBERS.
AFTER NEW YORK, BALTIMORE WAS ONCE THE SECOND LARGEST
POINT OF IMMIGRATION IN THE NATION.
THE STRIKING GOLD DOMES OF SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,
THE CHURCH FOR UKRAINIAN CATHOLICS,
IS EVIDENCE OF JUST ONE COMMUNITY THAT SETTLED HERE.
BUT OVER THE LAST CENTURY,
BALTIMORE'S BUSTLING NEIGHBORHOODS
HAVE FALLEN ON HARD TIMES,
AS JOBS AND RESIDENTS HAVE MOVED STEADILY AWAY.
TODAY THERE ARE CURRENTLY 30,000 VACANT LOTS ACROSS THE CITY.
SOME OF THEM WERE FEATURED
IN HBO'S CULT CRIME SERIES "THE WIRE,"
WHICH WAS FILMED IN AND AROUND WEST BALTIMORE.
A SMALL TWO AND A HALF STORY HOUSE
STANDS OUT AMONG EMPTY LOTS AND A LOW-INCOME HOUSING COMPLEX.
203 AMITY STREET WAS ONCE THE HOME OF EDGAR ALLEN POE.
HE DESCRIBED HIS BALTIMORE BRICK HOME AS
"THIS LITTLE HOUSE IN THE LOWLY STREET WITH THE LOVELY NAME."
THE POE HOUSE IS NOW A MUSEUM.
IN 1849, AGED JUST 40,
POE WAS FOUND DELIRIOUS ON THE STREETS OF BALTIMORE
AND NEVER RECOVERED FROM AN ILLNESS
THAT REMAINS A MYSTERY TO THIS DAY.
STORIES ABOUND OF AN UNKNOWN STRANGER
WHO VISITED POE'S GRAVE FOR 60 YEARS
TO LEAVE THREE ROSES
AND A PARTIALLY DRUNK BOTTLE OF FRENCH COGNAC
IN HIS MEMORY.
NO FIGURE STANDS TALLER
IN BALTIMORE, MARYLAND'S AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY
THAN THE LATE SUPREME COURT JUSTICE THURGOOD MARSHALL.
MARSHALL WAS THE CIVIL RIGHTS LAWYER WHO ARGUED AND WON
THE LANDMARK CASE OF BROWN V. THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
THAT ENDED LEGAL SEGREGATION IN SCHOOLS.
A NATIVE BALTIMOREAN, MARSHALL RECEIVED
THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM,
AND THE CITY'S AIRPORT HAS BEEN NAMED IN HIS HONOR.
STANDING HIGH IN DOWNTOWN BALTIMORE
IS THE COPPER-ROOFED BANK OF AMERICA BUILDING,
WHICH RISES OVER 500 FEET
AND WAS THE TALLEST BUILDING IN THE STATE
WHEN IT WAS BUILT IN 1924.
BUT TODAY, IT'S MEDICAL CARE, NOT SKYSCRAPERS,
THAT ARE PUTTING BALTIMORE ON THE MAP.
THE CITY IS HOME TO JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL,
WHICH HAS BEEN RANKED THE TOP OVERALL HOSPITAL IN THE U.S.
FOR 20 YEARS RUNNING.
IT'S PART OF JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY,
NAMED FOR ITS FOUNDER, A PHILANTHROPIST
WHO BUILT HIS FORTUNE FROM INVESTMENTS
IN THE B&O RAILROAD.
EVER SINCE THE 1700s, THE SHALLOW WATERS
OF BALTIMORE'S INNER HARBOR
HAVE BEEN RESTRICTED TO SMALLER VESSELS.
TODAY, THE CITY'S HISTORIC DOCKS ARE FINDING NEW USES.
ONE IS NOW THE SITE OF BALTIMORE'S NATIONAL AQUARIUM.
16,000 ANIMALS, FROM PLANKTON TO SHARKS,
LIVE INSIDE THESE ANGULAR GLASS WALLS.
NEARBY, A SILENT HERO EMERGES,
A 19th CENTURY SHIP WITH A COLORFUL PAST.
THE U.S.S. CONSTELLATION WAS BUILT IN 1855.
SOON AFTER, IT WAS SENT ON A MISSION TO INTERCEPT
SLAVE SHIPS AT THE MOUTH OF THE CONGO RIVER IN AFRICA.
LATER, SHE DEFENDED UNION TROOPS
AND EVEN CARRIED SUPPLIES TO FAMINE VICTIMS IN IRELAND.
[STAR-SPANGLED BANNER PLAYING]
JUST A 10 MINUTE WALK FROM THE INNER HARBOR,
A WELL-TENDED LAWN MARKS THE HOME
OF BASEBALL'S MOST LEGENDARY HERO,
GEORGE HERMAN "BABE" RUTH, WHO WAS BORN JUST A FEW BLOCKS AWAY.
RUTH'S FATHER RAN A SALOON KNOWN AS RUTH'S CAFE.
SOME SAY THAT THE SALOON STOOD AT THE EXACT SAME LOCATION
AS CENTER FIELD AT ORIOLE PARK,
THE FAMOUS CAMDEN YARDS BASEBALL STADIUM.
HERE ON JUST ABOUT ANY SUMMER NIGHT,
THOUSANDS OF MARYLANDERS RISE TO SING "THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER,"
THE ANTHEM THAT TRACES ITS ROOTS
FROM JUST ACROSS THE HARBOR AT FORT McHENRY.
FROM BALTIMORE, WE TRAVEL EAST TO EXPLORE DELAWARE.
PRESIDENT THOMAS JEFFERSON IS SAID TO HAVE DESCRIBED DELAWARE
AS A "JEWEL," A TINY STATE WITH GREAT HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE.
THE SECOND SMALLEST IN THE NATION,
IT IS ALSO KNOWN AS "THE FIRST STATE"
BECAUSE IT WAS THE FIRST TO RATIFY THE CONSTITUTION
AND SO BECAME THE FIRST OFFICIAL STATE IN THE UNION.
IN COLONIAL TIMES, THE STATE'S EXTENSIVE COASTS
ALONG THE DELAWARE BAY AND THE ATLANTIC
MADE IT A TEMPTING LOCATION FOR SETTLERS.
A SAILING SHIP MOORED
ON THE CHRISTINA RIVER IN WILMINGTON
PAYS TRIBUTE TO SOME OF THE STATE'S EARLIEST COLONISTS.
THE ORIGINAL KALMAR NYCKEL
BROUGHT SOME OF DELAWARE'S EARLIEST WHITE SETTLERS IN 1638.
NEIGHBORING STATES WERE FIRST COLONIZED
BY THE ENGLISH AND DUTCH,
BUT THE KALMAR NYCKEL AND ITS PASSENGERS
CAME FROM SWEDEN.
BUILT IN 1997, AND IDENTICAL TO THE ORIGINAL,
SHE CAN BE SEEN SAILING UP AND DOWN THE EASTERN SEABOARD
SERVING AS A HANDSOME AMBASSADOR OF HER STATE.
BUT WHILE SOME OF DELAWARE'S EARLIEST SETTLERS WERE SWEDISH,
HER MOST FAMOUS WERE ORIGINALLY FRENCH.
IT WAS HERE IN THE BRANDYWINE VALLEY
THAT PIERRE SAMUEL DU PONT DE NEMOURS
FIRST SETTLED AFTER FLEEING FRANCE
DURING THE FRENCH REVOLUTION IN 1799.
IN 1802, PIERRE'S SON, ELEUTHERE DU PONT,
STARTED A GUNPOWDER FACTORY AT HAGLEY
USING MILLS TO GRIND THE KEY INGREDIENTS:
CHARCOAL, SULFUR AND SALTPETER.
THE FAMILY'S BUSINESS WAS SO SUCCESSFUL
THAT DUPONT WOULD LATER BECOME
ONE OF THE LARGEST CHEMICAL COMPANIES IN THE WORLD,
MAKING DELAWARE A CENTER OF INNOVATION
FOR A DIVERSE RANGE OF PRODUCTS.
AT THE START OF THE 20th CENTURY,
THE DUPONTS WERE AMONG THE RICHEST FAMILIES IN AMERICA.
THIS 102-ROOM CHATEAU WAS BUILT IN 1910
BY ELEUTHERE'S GREAT-GRANDSON, ALFRED.
NAMED NEMOURS AFTER THE DUPONT FAMILY'S
ANCESTRAL HOME IN FRANCE, THE 47,000 SQUARE FOOT MANSION
HAS RECENTLY BEEN RESTORED AT A COST OF $39 MILLION.
TODAY THE MANSION'S 300-ACRE ESTATE IS ALSO THE SITE
OF THE ALFRED I. DUPONT HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN.
DUPONT IS ONE OF THE LARGEST CHEMICAL COMPANIES IN THE WORLD
AND HAS FACILITIES WORLDWIDE,
BUT ITS CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS REMAIN IN WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.
THE STATE'S OTHER TRADITIONAL INDUSTRIES
HAVEN'T FARED AS WELL.
AFTER WORLD WAR II, MANY OF DELAWARE'S
ONCE-THRIVING SHIPBUILDING AND STEEL COMPANIES
WERE REPLACED BY EMPTY FACTORIES.
BUT IN THE 1980s, THE STATE'S FORTUNES WERE TURNED AROUND
WHEN GOVERNOR PIERRE DUPONT
PASSED THE FINANCIAL CENTER DEVELOPMENT ACT,
WHICH EFFECTIVELY REMOVED THE CAP ON INTEREST RATES
THAT BANKS COULD CHARGE CUSTOMERS.
SINCE THEN, WILMINGTON HAS BECOME A FINANCIAL CENTER
FOR THE CREDIT CARD INDUSTRY.
IF YOUR CREDIT CARD IS ISSUED BY BANK OF AMERICA OR CHASE,
CHANCES ARE YOU SEND YOUR PAYMENTS TO WILMINGTON.
THE ARRIVAL OF THE BIG BANKS HELPED REVITALIZE
THE CITY'S WANING INDUSTRIAL ECONOMY,
BUT ECONOMIC DOWNTURNS HAVE BROUGHT FRESH CONCERNS
FOR ITS CITIZENS.
LUCKILY, DELAWARE HAS FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES,
AND NONE MORE THAN VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN,
STATE SENATOR SINCE 1972.
A RESIDENT OF WILMINGTON,
BIDEN RESISTED LIVING IN D.C. FOR 36 YEARS,
CHOOSING INSTEAD TO COMMUTE DAILY
FROM THE CITY'S HISTORIC TRAIN STATION.
A TRUCK CARRYING DELAWARE GIRDERS
ROLLS OVER A FAMOUS STEEL BRIDGE TO NEW JERSEY.
ONE OF THE LONGEST TWIN SPAN SUSPENSION BRIDGES IN THE WORLD,
THE DELAWARE MEMORIAL BRIDGE IS DEDICATED TO SOLDIERS
WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES OVERSEAS.
THE FIRST SPAN OPENED IN 1952,
FOLLOWED BY THE SECOND IN 1968.
JUST A FEW MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE BRIDGE,
THE BUSTLING MODERNITY DISAPPEARS
AND THE STATE'S RICH COLONIAL PAST IS REVEALED.
THE 17th CENTURY TOWN OF NEW CASTLE
IS HOME TO 5,000 PEOPLE.
ITS HISTORIC DISTRICT SPANS THREE AND A HALF SQUARE MILES,
LAND FIRST SETTLED BY PETER STUYVESANT IN 1651
AND THEN FOUGHT OVER BY THE DUTCH, SWEDES,
AND THE BRITISH, WHO EVENTUALLY WON.
HERE IN 1682, WILLIAM PENN, THE PROPRIETOR OF PENNSYLVANIA,
FIRST SET FOOT ON AMERICAN SOIL.
TODAY A STATUE STANDS IN HIS HONOR ON THE OLD VILLAGE GREEN.
IN THE 18th CENTURY,
THE OLD COURTHOUSE IN NEW CASTLE SERVED AS THE COLONIAL CAPITAL.
AND IT WAS HERE
THAT THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE WAS READ.
GEORGE READ, JR., THE SON OF ONE OF THE DECLARATION'S SIGNERS,
BUILT THIS 22-ROOM HOME IN 1801
INTENDING IT TO BE THE LARGEST HOME IN DELAWARE.
THE "READ HOUSE," AS IT'S KNOWN, IS SURROUNDED
BY THE OLDEST FORMAL GARDENS IN THE REGION.
MOVING SOUTH, A MARSHY ISLAND
MOMENTARILY SPLITS THE DELAWARE RIVER IN TWO.
ACCORDING TO LEGEND, PEA PATCH ISLAND EARNED ITS NAME
WHEN A SHIP FULL OF PEAS RAN AGROUND HERE,
SPILLING ITS SEEDS AND CREATING A PATCH OF PEA PLANTS.
BUT ITS PLEASANT NAME BELIES ITS MAIN USE
AS THE LOCATION FOR A FORT AND ISLAND PRISON.
FORT DELAWARE BEGAN AS A FORTRESS
BUILT AT THE END OF THE WAR OF 1812.
REBUILT IN 1859, IT GAINED NOTORIETY
AS A PRISONER OF WAR CAMP
FOR CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS DURING THE CIVIL WAR.
MORE THAN 30,000 WERE INTERNED HERE.
AND CONDITIONS WERE SO HARSH,
IT BECAME KNOWN AMONG CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS
AS THE "FORT DELAWARE DEATH PEN."
MORE THAN 2,000 SOLDIERS DIED WITHIN THESE WALLS.
AFTERWARDS, THE STAR-SHAPED BRICK BUILDING
REVERTED TO BEING A FORTRESS, AND CONTINUED
TO PROTECT DELAWARE THROUGH BOTH WORLD WARS.
IT BECAME A STATE PARK IN 1951.
FURTHER DOWN THE DELAWARE RIVER
THE COAST BECOMES A MAZE OF RIVERS, PONDS AND MARSHES.
IT'S A MECCA FOR HUNTERS.
BUT HUNTING ISN'T ALLOWED EVERYWHERE.
SINCE 1963, MORE THAN 10,000 ACRES OF MIGRATORY BIRD HABITAT
IS NOW PART OF THE PRIME HOOK NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE.
A FEW MILES TO THE NORTH LIES A PEACEFUL PLACE
WITH A VIOLENT NAME.
THE MURDERKILL RIVER IS ONE OF DELAWARE'S GREAT SECRETS,
SUPPOSEDLY NAMED AFTER A MASSACRE OF DUTCH TRADERS
BY NATIVE AMERICANS IN THE 1640s.
THE HEADWATERS OF THE MURDERKILL ARE HERE AT KILLENS POND.
THIS 66-ACRE MILLPOND IS HOME TO A WIDE RANGE OF FRESHWATER FISH
INCLUDING CARP, PERCH AND CATFISH.
AND WHERE THERE ARE FISH,
THERE ARE SHARP-EYED PREDATORS SCOPING THE WATER
FOR AN IN-FLIGHT MEAL.
FURTHER DOWN THE DELAWARE, THE RIVER WIDENS TO A BROAD BAY
WHERE VAST AREAS OF MARSHLAND
HAVE BEEN SPARED FROM DEVELOPMENT.
BUT WHAT MAY LOOK LIKE MARSH
HAS SOMETIMES ACTUALLY BEEN SCULPTED BY HUMAN HANDS.
THESE NEAT ROWS OF DITCHES DATE FROM THE 1930s.
THEY WERE DUG TO DRAIN THE MARSHES
AND CONTROL THE SWARMS OF MOSQUITOES
THAT MENACED BEACHGOERS IN NEARBY RESORT TOWNS.
LEWES IS ONE OF THE LAST TOWNS ON THE BAY,
BEFORE IT MEETS THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.
IT WAS ALSO ONE OF THE EARLIEST SETTLEMENTS IN AMERICA.
THE RYVES HOLT HOUSE, A FORMER INN,
REPORTEDLY BUILT ABOUT 1665 AND EXPANDED IN THE 18th CENTURY,
HAS BEEN CALLED THE OLDEST HOUSE IN DELAWARE.
THE TOWN'S LOCATION MADE IT A TARGET
FOR 17th CENTURY PIRATES
AND THE BRITISH DURING THE WAR OF 1812.
EVERY CITIZEN WAS REQUIRED TO OWN A MUSKET AND AMMUNITION
TO HELP FEND OFF INVADERS.
WHEN THE ATLANTIC STORMS OF WINTER ROLL IN,
THE DELAWARE TOWN OF LEWES IS AS EXPOSED TO THE WIND AND RAIN
AS ANY TOWN ON THE EASTERN SEABOARD.
BUT THANKS TO TWO DRAMATIC BREAKWATERS
JUST OFF THE SHORELINE, HOUSES AND SHELTERING SHIPS
ARE PROTECTED FROM THE WORST OF THE WAVES.
THIS IS THE NATIONAL HARBOR OF REFUGE,
A PLACE WHERE ANY SHIP CAN SEEK CALM WATERS
IN TIMES OF EMERGENCY.
MADE ORIGINALLY WITH NEARLY A MILLION TONS OF STONE
THAT HAD BEEN SHIPPED DOWN THE DELAWARE,
THE HARBOR WAS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE.
BUT WHEN SHIPPING GOT TOO BIG TO DROP ANCHOR
INSIDE THE OLD BREAKWATER, A NEW ONE WAS BUILT IN 1901.
AS IF TO DEMONSTRATE THE NEED FOR SUCH A SHELTER,
THE ORIGINAL HARBOR OF REFUGE LIGHT
LASTED JUST 17 YEARS OF BATTERING.
THE NEW ONE WAS COMPLETED IN 1926,
AND MADE LIKE AN OLD SHIP OF CAST IRON.
FAR OUT IN DELAWARE BAY, A FERRYBOAT
TAKES PASSENGERS AND CARS
ACROSS THE SOMETIMES CHOPPY WATERS TO CAPE MAY, NEW JERSEY.
SINCE THE FERRY SERVICE BEGAN IN 1964,
OVER 34 MILLION PEOPLE AND 11 MILLION VEHICLES
HAVE MADE THE 17-MILE CROSSING,
MAKING A MUCH SHORTER AND MORE SCENIC ROUTE
ALONG THE ATLANTIC COAST THAN THE INTERSTATE.
THESE WATERS CAN BE CALM OR INCREDIBLY CHOPPY.
EITHER WAY, THE MV NEW JERSEY AND HER SISTER SHIPS
ARE BUILT TO WEATHER THE SEASONS,
SAILING ALL MONTHS OF THE YEAR.
ROUNDING CAPE HENLOPEN,
A STRING OF CURIOUS-LOOKING TOWERS LINE THE SHORE.
THEY ARE A REMINDER THAT DELAWARE'S COASTLINE
WAS ONCE AMERICA'S FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE.
FORT MILES WAS BUILT IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR
TO HELP SOLDIERS IDENTIFY THE EXACT POSITIONS
OF SUSPICIOUS SHIPS OR SUBMARINES.
THEY THEN SENT PRECISE FIRING COORDINATES TO BATTERIES,
INCLUDING THIS 12-INCH GUN,
WHICH HAS SINCE BEEN PROTECTED BY GLASS WALLS.
FORT MILES WAS READY FOR ENEMY ATTACK,
BUT THE ATTACK NEVER CAME.
ITS 11 TOWERS ARE NOW MORE THAN A HALF A CENTURY OLD
AND STAND AS EXTRAORDINARY SENTINELS
OF A WORLD WAR THAT NEVER ARRIVED ON DELAWARE'S SHORES.
WHEN THE WEATHER'S FAIR,
THE ATLANTIC SHORELINE OF DELAWARE
OFFERS MILES OF SEASIDE PLEASURES.
THE RESORT TOWN OF REHOBOTH,
COMPLETE WITH BOARDWALK, ARCADES AND SALTWATER TAFFY,
IS A POPULAR WEEKEND RETREAT
FOR WORKERS FROM D.C. AND BALTIMORE.
A DIVERSE LINEUP OF MUSICIANS PLAY FREE CONCERTS
AT THE REHOBOTH BEACH BANDSTAND,
BUT ONLY DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS.
TO THE SOUTH, DEVELOPMENTS LINE THE COAST
BUT THEN THE SHORELINE OPENS UP
TO A 20-MILE STRETCH OF DELAWARE'S SANDY BEACHES,
OVER HALF OF WHICH ARE WITHIN STATE PARKS.
WHEREVER THERE'S DEVELOPMENT ALONG THIS COAST
THERE'S AN ETERNAL BATTLE AGAINST ENCROACHING WATER.
TAKE FENWICK ISLAND, WHICH HAS AN EXTREMELY HIGH FLOOD RISK.
BUT FOR MANY, HAVING THE PLEASURES OF THE ATLANTIC
AT THEIR DOORSTEP IS WORTH THE GAMBLE.
AND WHEN MIGRATORY GEESE CAN APPEAR TO OUTNUMBER HUMANS,
IT'S CLEAR THAT NATURE REIGNS IN THIS CORNER OF THE STATE.
FROM ITS INDUSTRIAL AND FINANCIAL CAPITAL OF WILMINGTON
TO THE TOWNS THAT STILL CLING TO ITS COASTLINE,
DELAWARE IS A SMALL STATE, BUT RICH IN RESOURCES
AND THE LEGACIES OF THOSE WHO SETTLED ITS SHORES.
IN MARYLAND AND DELAWARE
THE STATES OF A NEW NATION BEGAN.
AT FORT McHENRY AN ANTHEM THAT PAID TRIBUTE
TO THE HARD FOUGHT FREEDOM OF ITS SETTLERS
WHO VENTURED TO CROSS AN OCEAN BY WIND AND SAIL.
MARYLAND AND DELAWARE, TWO STATES THAT BATTLED
TO FORGE A COUNTRY'S FREEDOM
AND FOUGHT A CIVIL WAR TO KEEP IT UNITED.
THEY ARE LANDS OF ADVENTURERS, ENTREPRENEURS, REVOLUTIONARIES,
AND AN ANTI-SLAVERY HEROINE
WHOSE STORIES ARE PAINTED ACROSS AN EVER-CHANGING LANDSCAPE
OF EARTH AND WATER.