Explore the influential individuals and significant events that have shaped the rich history of North Carolina. Delve into the stories of artists, politicians, activists, athletes, and more who have left a lasting mark on the state and the nation. This curated collection of films from PBS North Carolina provides a captivating journey through many pivotal moments in North Carolina's history.
Explore the enduring legacy of one of the most significant African American leaders of the Reconstruction Era. Born in 1852 in Eastern North Carolina to a family of turpentine farmers, White rose through the ranks of state politics to serve in the 55th US Congress from 1887 to 1901 as its sole Black voice.
Watch George H. White: Searching for Freedom, streaming now on the PBS app.
This documentary details the life of James B. Duke. From his humble beginnings on a farm in North Carolina, James B. Duke became one of the wealthiest industrialists of the 20th century. Through business and philanthropy, he helped transform the Carolinas. Learn more about this native son and his family’s enduring legacy.
Watch From Poverty to Power: The James B. Duke Story, streaming now on the PBS app.
Explore the life of George Masa, a Japanese immigrant who became well known in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina as a great photographer, hiker and explorer. Masa was instrumental in the founding of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the mapping and building of the Appalachian Trail.
Watch The Mystery of George Masa, streaming now on the PBS app.
Fred Chappell’s journey from mountain farm boy to North Carolina poet laureate winds through pulp magazines, Duke University, critical praise and popular indifference. This documentary explores a writer and teacher finding his way to success by staying true to his Appalachian roots while pursuing his craft with honesty, wit, insight and dogged perseverance.
Watch Fred Chappell: I Am One of You Forever, streaming now on the PBS app.
This documentary takes a deep dive into the life, creative work and social justice advocacy of the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paul Green. A native son of North Carolina and a champion for racial equality, Green went to Broadway and back with a dream that someday he could write a new ending for the Old South.
Watch The Playmaker: The Story of Paul Green, streaming now on the PBS app.
Explore New Bern’s complex and pivotal role in NC history, from the Tuscarora Nation’s first contact with Europeans through the city’s occupation in the U.S. Civil War. Featuring historians Earl Ijames, Crystal R. Sanders and David Cecelski. New Bern: Spirit of Freedom received the Best History Documentary Award at the 2020 Long Leaf Film Festival.
Watch New Bern: Spirit of Freedom, streaming now on the PBS app.
In the early 1900s, North Carolina and other Southern states largely ignored their responsibility to provide education for rural Black children. Learn how educator Booker T. Washington and philanthropist Julius Rosenwald hatched a plan that broke Jim Crow’s grip on funding for Black schools. The results helped change the South and the nation, one student at a time.
Watch Unlocking the Doors of Opportunity: Rosenwald Schools of NC, streaming now on the PBS app.
Revealing how a historic preservation project has helped recover the story of a once-thriving town near Raleigh built after the Civil War by formerly enslaved & free Black people. Oberlin had more than 1200 inhabitants before being paved over in the name of progress. The renovation of two 1880s houses by Preservation North Carolina has exposed remarkable stories about the families who lived there.
Watch Oberlin: A Village Rooted in Freedom, streaming now on the PBS app.
Raleigh’s Dorton Arena is famed the world over for its groundbreaking architecture. Its greatest untold legacy, however, is its place in the history of a Southern mainstay: pro wrestling. This documentary chronicles the rise and fall of pro wrestling at the iconic venue, examining its impact on generations of fans, competitors and the sport itself.
Watch When Giants Walked Here, streaming now on the PBS app.
