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A technological tour of the Biltmore Estate

This tour of “America's Castle” explains the technological features George Vanderbilt incorporated into his turn-of-the-century home.

Format: series (multiple pages)

How do hurricanes form?

In Hurricanes on sandy shorelines: Lessons for development, page 2

Hurricanes begin when areas of low atmospheric pressure move off Africa and into the Atlantic, where they grow and intensify in the moisture-laden air above the warm tropical ocean. Air moves toward these atmospheric lows from all directions and curves to...

By Dirk Frankenberg.

Technological inspirations for Biltmore House

In A technological tour of the Biltmore Estate, page 2

Architect Richard Morris Hunt and George Vanderbilt first met in 1885, when Vanderbilt was just twenty-two years old. These first meetings between George Vanderbilt and Hunt to complete work in the Vanderbilt family mausoleum began an association that would...

The tabasco water heater and hot water in Biltmore House

In A technological tour of the Biltmore Estate, page 7

Introduction to the boiler room Although this room is called the Boiler Room, a number of interesting features relating to various technologies can be seen here, including the elevator controller and modern DC generator. The platform and wire cage...

By Sue Clark McKendree.

The growth of tourism: Warm Springs

In North Carolina in the New South, page 5.9

Advertisement for Warm Springs (now Hot Springs) in Madison County, North Carolina, from the late nineteenth century. Includes historical commentary about the region, tourism, and nineteenth-century medicine.

Format: pamphlet

Commentary and sidebar notes by L. Maren Wood.

Lactase enzyme lab

This lab will examine the specificity of an enzyme (lactase) to a specific substrate (lactose). Students will observe the actions of the enzyme and how shape is important to enzyme reactions.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 Science)

By Bert Wartski.

The transformer room

In A technological tour of the Biltmore Estate, page 11

Interpreting the transformer room Wires come through the wall from the Generator Room which originally carried the power from the Dynamo Room to the Transformer Room. This room first was used to house a series of large Gould storage batteries,...

By Sue Clark McKendree.

Learning about the earth through remote sensing

In CareerStart lessons: Grade eight, page 5.6

In this lesson, students will learn about remote sensing and satellite images, and will gain an understanding of how various professions use information gathered via these methods.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Science)

By Tammy Johnson and Martha Tedrow.

Experience North Carolina's state parks with EELEs

An EELE is an Environmental Education Learning Experience -- a site-specific program offered by the North Carolina state parks system. EELEs include pre-visit activities, on-site activities and post-visit activities, but they do not necessarily have to be used in conjunction with a group visit. Educators can attend EELE workshops to gain rich educational experiences that provide knowledge, insight, and immediate practical materials for use in the classroom.

Format: article

By Linda Dow.

The growth of tourism: Southern Pines

In North Carolina in the New South, page 5.10

Report on a trip by doctors to Southern Pines, North Carolina, suggesting that its healthful climate made it an excellent destination for urban tourists and people recovering from illnesses. Includes historical commentary.

Format: article

Commentary and sidebar notes by L. Maren Wood.

Two paths to knowledge

For students who who always finish their class work early or want more information than you have time to give, try curriculum compacting.

By Waverly Harrell.

The founding of Virginia

In Colonial North Carolina, page 1.1

England planted its first successful North American colony at Jamestown in 1607, but settlers fought Indians and disease, and the colony grew slowly. By the end of the seventeenth century, Virginia had established tobacco as its main crop, a representative government, and slavery as a dominant system of labor.

Format: article

By L. Maren Wood.

Chocolate! Chocolate! Chocolate!

Using chocolate as a theme, students will become involved in reading, writing, math, word study/spelling and other developmentally appropriate (integrated) activities. The unit includes centers for the classroom along with whole group activities.

Format: lesson plan (grade 1 Mathematics)

By Luwonna Oakes.

An account of the slave trade on the coast of Africa

In Colonial North Carolina, page 4.6

Excerpt from a book by a former surgeon on a slave ship, describing the horrors of the Middle Passage from Africa to America. Historical commentary is included. Warning: This document may not be suitable for all ages. Please use discretion.

Format: book

Commentary and sidebar notes by Shane Freeman.

Work in a textile mill

In North Carolina in the New South, page 3.1

Article describes the various kinds of work in a textile mill, the experiences of millhands in and out of the mills, and what various workers earned.

Format: article

By James Leloudis and Kathryn Walbert.

Rutherford Trace

In 1776, during the War for Independence, an expedition led by Griffith Rutherford sought to eliminate the Cherokee as a British ally and to punish them for attacking white settlements. In one month, Rutherford’s men left dozens of Cherokee villages in ruins with hundreds of acres of crops destroyed and livestock killed or seized. Residents of western North Carolina still tell multiple sides of the story.

Format: article

The Buncombe Turnpike

In North Carolina in the New Nation, page 7.6

The Buncombe Turnpike began in the early nineteenth century as the Drover's Road through western North Carolina, used to drive livestock to market. The Turnpike brought trade and increased prosperity to the region and especially to Asheville. After the Civil War, economic recession and the rise of railroads led to its decline.

Format: article

Resources on the web

Secrets of Lost Empires

Ferret out long-forgotten secrets of early architects and engineers using a variety of interactive features and fascinating information. How did lost empires design and erect the medieval war machines known as trebuchets? Egyptian obelisks? The Easter Island... (Learn more)

Format: website/activity

Provided by: PBS