Great American Railroad Journeys S01E15 · Petersburg to Jamestown

Overview

In Petersburg, Virginia, the choir of the First Baptist Church is in fine voice as Michael discovers how, during the 19th century, coded messages were delivered to slaves who hoped to escape via the so-called Underground Railroad. Michael ploughs his own furrow in a field in colonial Williamsburg, a living history park, where he learns from costumed re-enactors what life was like for both master and slave. It's battle stations in Norfolk, home to the United States Atlantic Fleet, where Michael is invited on board the USS Wisconsin to hear about the first duel fought between iron-clad vessels in 1862 and Britain's role in it. Michael reaches the end of this American journey in Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America, where he finds out about the settlers' grim struggle for survival led by Captain John Smith and Pocahontas.

Torrents

Subtitles

Episodes

1. 1 1. Manhattan: Grand Central to Broadway2016-02-01 · 29mMichael begins his American odyssey in New York City. Starting at Grand Central Terminal, the 'gateway to the nation', he boards the Manhattan subway system, the busiest rail trans
2. 2 2. Manhattan: Lower East Side to World Trade Center2016-02-02 · 29mMichael continues his American journey in Manhattan's Lower East Side, where he narrowly avoids a scrap with an historic gang of New York and visits the grim tenement buildings whe
3. 3 3. Brooklyn to Montauk2016-02-03 · 29mFrom Manhattan, Michael follows his Appleton's Guide east, travelling on the Long Island Railroad. He begins in Brooklyn, where he learns the incredible story behind the world's fi
4. 4 4. New York City to Garrison2016-02-04 · 29mMichael follows America's mighty Hudson River north, riding on the United States' national rail carrier service, Amtrak. He learns from Amtrak's police chief about some of the nati
5. 5 5. Poughkeepsie to Albany2016-02-05 · 29mMichael Portillo continues his railroad journey through New York State following his Appleton's Guide. Beginning in the city of Poughkeepsie, he visits a famous all-female universi
6. 6 6. Schenectady to Rochester2016-02-08 · 29mMichael heads west through New York State. He has a lightbulb moment in Schenectady, when he discovers how Thomas Edison's General Electric Company also leads the way in modern rai
7. 7 7. Buffalo to Niagara Falls2016-02-09 · 29mMichael braves the awesome power and drenching spray of Niagara Falls on the Maid of the Mist to share what artists, daredevils and millions of tourists have billed as one of the m
8. 8 8. Philadelphia to Atlantic City2016-02-10 · 29mMichael embarks on a new railroad journey from the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia, south to the first permanent English colonial settlement in North America, Jamestown. He fe
9. 9 9. Lancaster to Gettysburg2016-02-11 · 29mMichael hitches a ride with the Amish in a horse-drawn buggy through rich countryside settled in the 18th century by religiously oppressed Europeans. Charmed by their modest way of
10. 10 10. Wilmington to Havre de Grace2016-02-12 · 29mMichael reaches a milestone on his American journey: the boundary between the northern and southern states, known as the Mason-Dixon line. He discovers the origins of what became f
11. 11 11. Baltimore to Fort McHenry2016-02-15 · 29mIn Baltimore, home of the first railroad in the United States, the Baltimore and Ohio, he discovers how the first American steam engine, the Tom Thumb, owed much to pioneering Brit
12. 12 12. Washington DC2016-02-16 · 29mMichael arrives in the nation's capital, Washington DC. He admires its fine public buildings, including the largest library in the world, and discovers how the capital was built fr
13. 13 13. Georgetown to Mount Vernon2016-02-17 · 29mOn this leg, Michael soaks up some old-school jazz in Washington's U Street neighbourhood, where the big band jazz king, Duke Ellington, was born and began his career. He also grab
14. 14 14. Manassas to Richmond2016-02-18 · 29mMichael Portillo arrives in Manassas, scene of two crucial battles during the American Civil War - the first railroad battles in US history. In Fredericksburg, Virginia, he tries h
15. 15 15. Petersburg to Jamestown2016-02-19 · 29mIn Petersburg, Virginia, the choir of the First Baptist Church is in fine voice as Michael discovers how, during the 19th century, coded messages were delivered to slaves who hoped