Exploring North Carolina
“Exploring North Carolina” was a PBS series and an original production by UNC-TV, the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, and DTS Software, Inc. It was distributed on DVD in 2010. Funding was provided by the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust.
Below are four full episodes: Man and Mammoth, 10,000 Years Before Contact, The First Lost Colony, and Fort Bragging Rights.
You can view the full-length feature in each of the large frames below, or continue scrolling to watch each segment separately.
Man and Mammoth
Scientists and naturalists have long known that the Southern Appalachians hold an extreme diversity of fauna and flora. This diversity became even more astonishing recently when a new “inventory” of biodiversity, conducted in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, revealed thousands of species new to the Park and hundreds of species new to science.
In this episode Exploring North Carolina will visit with the scientists most familiar with the inventory, as well as the Park’s most beloved animals, black bears and American elk.
(27:16)
Video Clips from Man and Mammoth
Paleoenvironment of North Carolina
Paleontologist Dale Russell of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences describes the plants and small animals living in North Carolina during the last glacial maximum. (01:46)
Megafauna of North Carolina
Paleontologist Dale Russell of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences explains the meaning of the word megafauna and describes the variety of large animals living in North Carolina during the last glacial maximum.
(01:26)
Possible Pre-Clovis Settlement in North America
Archaeologist Steve Davis of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill discusses the potential for pre-Clovis settlement in eastern North America. (00:58)
Relative and Absolute Dating Methods
Archaeologist Steve Davis of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill explains the methods archaeologists use to determine the age of artifacts excavated from prehistoric sites. (00:54)
Paleoindian Period in North Carolina
Archaeologist Randy Daniel of East Carolina University discusses the distribution of Paleoindian sites and the implications of sea level change for Paleoindian research. (00:54)
Discovering the Antiquity of Human Settlement in North Carolina
Billy Oliver of the North Carolina Office of State Archaeology discusses the significance of archaeological research at the Hardaway, Doerschuk, and Lowder’s Ferry sites. (00:42)
Peopling of the Americas
Exploring North Carolina host Tom Earnhardt describes competing theories regarding the transcontinental movements of the earliest American Indians. (00:41)
10,000 Years Before Contact
With the help of renowned potter, Ben Owen III, Exploring North Carolina will help viewers understand how the lowly clay beneath our feet can also become extraordinary works of art and utility. Whether you are a fan or a detractor of this malleable mineral, the clays of North Carolina are an important part of our heritage. From where does clay come? How does it get its color? In this episode, ENC will visit geologists who can answer these questions.
(27:17)
Video Clips from 10,000 Years Before Contact
Cherokee Perspective on Nature
Jerry Wolfe, an elder in the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, describes what it was like to grow up in a Cherokee household in the mountains of North Carolina. (02:07)
The Warren Wilson Site
Archaeologist David Moore of Warren Wilson College discusses the findings of excavations at the Warren Wilson site, and how they relate to North Carolina culture history. (02:53)
North Carolina Culture History
Archaeologist Steve Davis of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill summarizes what life was like for people living in North Carolina during the Paleoindian, Archaic, Woodland, and Mississippian Periods. (04:18)
The Barber Creek Site
Archaeologist Randy Daniel of East Carolina University discusses the findings of excavations at the Barber Creek site, and how they relate to North Carolina culture history. (01:25)
Prehistoric Canoes of North Carolina
Lisa Williams of Pettigrew State Park discusses the prehistoric canoes that have been discovered in eastern North Carolina. (00:46)
Natural Resources and Settlement Locations
Billy Oliver of the North Carolina Office of State Archaeology describes the natural resources that played an important role in prehistoric American Indian decisions regarding settlement location. (01:08)
Stone Tool Hafting Techniques
Steve Watts of the Schiele Museum of Natural History describes hafting techniques and their importance for understanding how people used stone tools. (00:48)
The First Lost Colony
If you have always thought that Roanoke Island was the site of the first European colony, or settlement, in North America, think again. Led by Dr. David Moore, a talented team of archaeologists has located the probable location of “Fort San Juan” in the foothills of the Appalachians near Morganton, NC. This Spanish outpost (1566 and 1567), was established two decades before “The Lost Colony” at Roanoke Island, behind North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Exploring North Carolina was privileged to visit the archaeologists on site and interview them at the location of Fort San Juan.
(28:10)
Video Clips from The First Lost Colony
Spanish Explorers in the Southeast
Archaeologist Chester DePratter of the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology describes early Spanish travels in the Southeast and explains how Spanish documents can be used to find archaeological sites. (01:52)
The Berry Site
Archaeologist David Moore of Warren Wilson College summarizes the evidence for identifying the Berry site as the location of the Spanish Fort San Juan. (01:34)
Fort Bragging Rights
Enjoy this behind-the-scenes tour of some of the most ecologically and historically significant locations at Fort Bragg with the archaeologists and scientists who know it best.
(27:16)
Video Clips from Fort Bragging Rights
Introduction
Tom Earnhardt introduces us to the historical significance of Fort Bragg, home to one of the world’s premier military training facilities that is almost geographically as large as a county. Beyond its military connections, Fort Bragg has a rich archaeological history as well. (01:08)
Hidden Treasures Keeper
Jeff Irwin, program manager at the Cultural Resources Management Program at Fort Bragg, says he sees Fort Bragg as an island of conservation. Its 160,000 acres of land, relatively undisturbed, boast a rich archaeological history. (01:24)
The Cultural Resources Management Program
Jeff Irwin explains the role of the Cultural Resources Management Program at Fort Bragg to identify, understand, and protect the sites treasures in light of the Sandhills region’s unique history. (00:45)
Cultural Inventory
Completing a cultural inventory on tens of thousands of acres can be labor intensive work, Jeff Irwin, program manager for the Cultural Resources Management Program at Fort Bragg, says. About 80 percent of the 160,000 acres at Fort Bragg has been surveyed, revealing around 4,500 archaeological sites and hundreds of historic buildings. (01:03)
Human History in the Sandhills
The oldest artifacts found at Fort Bragg, according to Jeff Irwin, program manager for the Cultural Resources Management Program, date to the end of the last Ice Age. Up until 1500 AD, a consistent human presence has been defined, too. Stone tools and ceramics are among the most common artifacts. (00:44)
European Settlement in the Region
Dr. Linda Carnes-McNaughton, curator of collections and historical archaeologist at Fort Bragg, shared her deep knowledge of the European settlement of the region with Exploring North Carolina here. The cultural resources contained within the 160,000 acres of land, as of 1997, are vast and reveal much about the Sandhills region’s past. (02:09)
The People of the Sandhills
A culturally diverse group of landowners populated the Sandhills region in its early years. About 75 percent of them were Scottish immigrants who had made the journey between the 1750s and 1850s. The second largest group was African Americans. The third largest group would have been historic American Indians. All became, at their cores, North Carolinians. (02:11)
Cottage Crafts of the Sandhills
Dr. Linda Carnes-McNaughton explains how distillation of turpentine and other cottage industries related to it, such as sawmilling and coopering, were the primary crafts heralded by the Scottish immigrants in the Sandhills region. (01:43)
The Scots: Religion and Gaelic in Fort Bragg
Scottish immigrants brought their religion, Presbyterianism, and their language, Gaelic, to the Sandhills region. Marked by carved foundation stones, the Longstreet Church on Yadkin Road remains one of the first Presbyterian churches in the south. Its first building, a log structure, was completed in 1766. (01:05)
Cemeteries at Fort Bragg
Many of the 27 early cemeteries record the Scottish Highlands names found throughout the North Carolina Sandhills. Many are popular names that have endured through today. (00:46)
Fort Bragg’s History of Sacrifice and War Efforts
Few people are aware of Fort Bragg’s history of sacrifice and war efforts long ago. As early as the American Revolution, the Scottish and other immigrants who lived in the region experienced direct and severe impacts. (01:14)
Tartans, Turpentine, and Turmoil
People are still discovering relics from the Battle of Monroe’s Crossroads, a Civil War clash between Union and Confederate cavalry forces on March 10, 1865. After the Civil War, people stayed on the landscape because it continued to support them and their heritage. (01:22)
Modern Fort Bragg and the Woodpecker Wars
Secretary Bill Ross of the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (now the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality) recounts a compelling story of environmental stewardship in the 1990s regarding the red-cockaded woodpeckers. This “war” spurred the creation of conservation partnerships. (01:20)
The Sandhills Conservation Partnership
The North Carolina Sandhills Conservation Partnership, formed in 2000, was created as a non-traditional blend of partners united by the desire to protect the land and encourage sustainability. Its mission has spread, impacting Fort Bragg’s surrounding regions to include Camp Lejeune and other parts of the southeastern United Sates. (01:52)
Environmental Stewardship at Fort Bragg
Stewardship at Fort Bragg and cooperation with its neighbors have grown stronger over the years. Alvin Braswell, curator of herpetology at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, highlights the value in protecting and appreciating the natural habitats and national treasures at Fort Bragg. (00:57)
Fort Bragg’s Museum and Wildlife
Alvin Braswell, curator of herpetology at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, discusses Fort Bragg’s pivotal, positive role in the protection of the treasures and unique species of animals and plants at Fort Bragg. These have included longleaf pinecones and giant fox squirrels, squirrels the size of small cats. (02:25)
Fort Bragg: A Success Story
The great stewardship successes at Fort Bragg have taken effort and visionary leaders who see the ultimate value in looking beyond the defense line of Fort Bragg. The environmental leadership there has served as an inspiring lesson. (01:14)