We are pleased to offer the following programs in an on-demand streaming video format for viewing at your convenience.
Registration is required for viewing these free programs, which are intended for all audiences. You can also see some of these videos on our YouTube page.
North Carolina: Long Story Shorts
This video series explores the people, things, and events of our past that together help tell the stories of the Tar Heel State
North Carolina: Long Story, Short!
14,000 years of history in 10 minutes. And it’s a musical! Sing along with the Pine Valley Historians. Program length: approximately 11 minutes.
QuiltSpeak
Quilts speak. They speak of skill and power. They speak of economy and ingenuity. They speak of memory and forgetting. Quilts reveal voices from the past—women’s voices. Some of these voices have been long silenced by social constraints, racial oppression, illiteracy, and exhaustion. But by knowing how to listen, contemporary observers can uncover these voices and access the experiences of people whose lives skirted the periphery of written history. Uncover women's voices and our shared history through quilts. Program length: 35 minutes.
585 Days if You're Lucky
As the United States entered the "war to end all wars" in 1917, no one could imagine a second world war. For the 86,000 North Carolinians who fought in the war and for the 195 Tar Heel nurses who served overseas, as well as for the countless families left behind to wait in anguish, it was the World War. Based on primary sources, the films share firsthand stories from the trenches, hospitals, and homes of those troubled times. 585 Days, if You're Lucky consists of 29 short films that may be watched sequentially or singularly. Video lengths vary from 2 to 11 minutes. Cumulative run time for all films is 100 minutes.
For Educational Resources, click here
A Tale of Two Kitchens
The video A Tale of Two Kitchens visually compares the morning routines of children today to those of youngsters who lived in the mid-1800s. Program length: approximately 2 minutes.
Artifact Chitchat
A key, a cannonball, a tea caddy . . . learn about North Carolina’s role in the American Revolution through the, um, eyes of some . . . uh, artifacts that were actually there! Program Length: approx. 7 minutes.
A Longleaf Fairytale
Meet the Longleaf Fairy and explore the history of North Carolina’s “vast ocean of trees,” the longleaf pine forest. Program length: approximately 8 minutes.
Past Times: Tar Heel History
American Indians in North Carolina
Explore the fascinating history and contemporary culture of North Carolina’s American Indian communities. Try the free distance-learning class for students American Indians in North Carolina . Program length: approx. 10 minutes.
Don't You Know There's a War On?
This program explores the inspiring firsthand accounts of 11 individuals who experienced World War II. Program length: 33 minutes.
Friends in Liberty: North Carolina in the American Revolution
Through the eyes of 14-year-old Hugh McDonald and his friend, Anne Taylor, we learn about North Carolina during the American Revolution. The film is based on McDonald’s actual journal that describes his experiences with the Continental Army. Program length: approximately 52 minutes. View the program →
Access the Teacher Supplement → (Please note that this film may take several minutes to load.)
Moccasins to Motorcars
Students will discover how modes of transportation have changed over time and how those changes have affected North Carolinians. Try the free distance-learning class for students Moccasins to Motorcars. Program length: approximately 17 minutes.
You Are Here!
Explore the North Carolina Museum of History through this fun orientation video. Program length: approx. 8 minutes.
LIVE! Videos
African American Life and Culture in North Carolina History: LIVE! Streaming Event
On February 15, 2017, museum educator Sally Bloom, curator Earl Ijames, and Michelle Lanier, director of the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission led this interactive class from the museum’s chronology exhibit, The Story of North Carolina. Explore the history of the many people of African descent who contributed to our past and whose lives continue to impact our present. For grades 3-8. Program Length: 65 minutes.
More Resources, Educator Notebook, and Educator Worksheet.
Cooking for the (future) President: James K. Polk State Historic Site
On January 24, 2018, we visited the President James K. Polk State Historic Site where we explored foodways. What can we learn from the foods people ate in the past and the ways meals were prepared? Watch volunteer cooks prepare “receipts” from when the future president was a boy, around 1805. Check out some “receipts” from the event, engage students with the lesson “Where Do Our Foods Come From?”, and explore the President James K. Polk Historic Site’s kitchen and garden with activities and additional resources. Sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. For Grades 3-8. Program Length: 60 minutes.
Manners Matter: The Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum
Founded in 1902 by Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown, Palmer Memorial Institute transformed the lives of more than 2,000 African American students. And the Canary House, on the grounds of the school, was much more than Dr. Brown’s home. Recognizing that education continued outside of the classroom, Dr. Brown invited students, civil rights leaders, artists, and others to visit and socialize in this special place where politeness and grace were more than a “nice to have,” but a place where Manners Mattered. Follow along with Jamie Jones, manager at the museum and historic site, and Museum of History educator Sally Bloom who explored the life and influence of this amazing educator and leader in February 2019. For Grades 3-8. 60 minutes. Check out this Tar Heel Junior Historian article for students and related lesson plan, “School Rules,” from our Educator Notebook, African Americans in North Carolina. Additional resources found here and order your Notebook here. View the program →
North Carolina American Indians: LIVE! Streaming Event
On November 14, 2016, museum educator Sally Bloom and Teryn Smith, a member of the Sappony Tribe, taught a live class from museum’s exhibit, The Story of North Carolina, sharing information and insights into North Carolina’s historic and contemporary native peoples. Program length: 48 minutes.
North Carolina and World War I: LIVE! Streaming Event
On March 6, 2018, historian and curator Jackson Marshall III and museum educator Sally Bloom explored the museum’s exhibit to commemorate the war. With this video, like visitors, you’ll be immersed in a life-size trench environment while seeing weapons and uniforms, a re-created field hospital, a detailed diorama, battlefield relics, and heart-pounding battlefield sounds and sights. Sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. For Grades 4-12. Program length: 60 minutes.
Additional resources found here. Text of exhibit labels are here. And, watch 585 Days, if You’re Lucky, our video series based on primary sources about North Carolinians who experienced the war first hand. View the program →
One Giant Leap: North Carolina to the Moon [and Back]
On Friday, April 5, 2019, museum educator Sally Bloom toured the Museum’s One Giant Leap exhibit with curator Jessica Bandel and special guest Mr. Gerry Griffin. Mr. Griffin is a former director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston and, during NASA’s Apollo program, he was a flight director in Mission Control. Together they discover the many North Carolina connections to the Space Race and shared stories of the people, places, and things that helped mankind make that historic “one giant leap” on the moon. For additional resources and lesson plans regarding the history and impact of the Space Race, see the National Education Association’s materials; lessons from the National Park Service, and information from C-Span Classroom. For STEM related activities, NASA has many resources for all grade levels. For grades 3-12; program length 60 minutes.
Small Stuff/Big Stories: LIVE! Streaming Event
What’s so important about a fish hook? Why is a stick in a glass case? And what’s the story with an old pair of kids’ shoes? On October 17, 2017, museum educator Sally Bloom was joined by curator RaeLana Poteat for this LIVE! streamed tour through our state history—as it was told by some small stuff that was actually used in our past. Sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. For grades 3-8, 58 minutes.
Handout here. Additional Resources here.
Taking Off! North Carolina Flight and Fliers: LIVE! Streaming Event
First in flight and more! On December 1, 2017, special guest Darrell Collins—an expert on the Wright Brothers—joined educator Sally Bloom on a journey through the museum exploring flying machines and people who flew them. Plus paper airplanes! Sponsored by the First Flight Foundation, Championing the Legacy of the Wright Brothers.
Handout is here. Additional resources found here and here. For grades 3-8; 45 minutes.
Tales from the Queen Anne’s Revenge
In the summer of 1718, the pirate Blackbeard ran his flagship Queen Anne’s Revenge aground near Beaufort. Blackbeard and his crew were unhurt and abandoned the ship, taking with them everything they thought was valuable. But, for those of us who are enamored with 18th-century ships, pirates, and colonial history, plenty of treasure remains! This special LIVE! event features Kimberly Kenyon, conservator from the Queen Anne’s Revenge Conservation Laboratory, and Sally Bloom, an educator at the Museum of History, sharing what tales can still be told from the wreckage of the QAR.
Additional resources found here and here. Plus, find our craft “Design Your Own Pirate Flag,” here and read the Tar Heel Junior Historian magazine article “Underwater Conservation” here. For Grades 3-8, 55 minutes.
VIPs at Tryon Palace
Who were the Very Important People at Tryon Palace? Home to Royal Governors Tryon and Martin, Tryon Palace was the seat of government during tumultuous times. We’ll go behind the scenes and explore some history, spaces, and things associated with this colonial site and learn more about the people who called this area home. Your guides for this December 8, 2018, program are Museum of History educator Sally Bloom and Tryon Palace educators Amber Satterthwaite and Sharon Bryant. Sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. For Grades 3-8. 60 minutes.
Handout available. Additional resources found here.
Need Help?
The answer to your question might be found in our FAQs listed below. You can also e-mail us at jerry.taylor@ncdcr.gov.
Streaming Video FAQs
The video window is too small. How can I make it larger (or fullscreen)?
Our streaming video is designed to provide an optimized viewing experience centered in your web browser, without the need for launching additional windows for the media player. However, if you would prefer to use a media player to view our content (which enables resizing the video), please complete the following steps.
- First, stop playback on the video inside the browser window (press the stop button)
- Now, click on the button in the bottom right-hand side of the video screen
Do I need to download the program materials to participate in the program?
Our streaming video programs are designed to be educational and entertaining without the need for supplemental materials, but some are provided to expand the subject for you. Plus, some video topics are explored further with hands-on distance learning classes for students.
Do you have any other streaming video programs?
All of our LIVE! streaming events become Videos on Demand. Check out what’s coming next for LIVE! We are hard at work developing new and exciting content for our viewers. Please check back often to see what's new. If you have suggestions for future programs, we'd love to hear from you! Please email us at jerry.taylor@ncdcr.gov.