American Countryside

There is a black tape line on the floor of the library in Derby Line, Vermont.  Walk inside and cross that line and you're in...

When I was in elementary school we wrote letters to Santa.  Maybe you did the same thing once upon a time.  Where did that letter...

We all know that Santa lives at the North Pole.  But for awhile, Santa was living at the Davis Railroad Siding.  No it doesn't quite...

A lot of communities in the U.S. will have a visit from Santa.  It's a chance for the kids in the area to come meet...

In the heart of the south, there was one Quaker community determined to not only bring an end to slavery, but to help former slaves...

We might imagine that prior to the Civil War, most large farming operations in the south used slave labor.  Today we take you to a...

Major highways can be a very important way to get people to your business.  What do you do when your competitor moves the road?  Well...

In western Massachusetts you'll find a picturesque farm with a history that stretches all the way back to the late 1700s.  This is the story...

Some may come to this farming village and think the methods they used are antiquated. However, a deeper look at this town and who lived...

When this religious group first came to North America, many citizens did not know what to make of their interesting religious dancing.  The name we...

Many people think the most intricate timepieces made today are those constructed by the Swiss.  But there was once a time when the Swiss and...

Our time is something pretty important to most of us.  We may keep track of it with our phone or watch, but two hundred years...

Guy Gruters was held as a prisoner of war for over five years in Vietnam.  Over fifty years after his capture he returned to the...

Guy Gruters was taken as a prisoner of war just before Christmas of 1967.  It was the beginning of over five years of captivity.  His...

Guy Gruters flew over 400 combat missions in the Vietnam War.  Two of those missions resulted in him ejecting from his F100.  The story of...

It's a home with gigantic ceilings and a resident who had over 500 pairs of shoes, not to mention it is also built in the...

When this man won a card game that gained him a small fortune, he decided to build his family a home.  And that home pays...

This city was established on a state line and one of its most important buildings is literally on top of that line.  That means the...

Thirty percent of all doctors trained in the U.S. have this distinction.  The story of how it all began can be traced to one small...

Andrew wanted to be a farmer, but when a drought wiped out his crop, he had thoughts of teaching school.  When the pay wasn't enough...

Sometimes the packaging is even more important than the product inside – at least that's what some marketers will tell you.  A look at this...

Ron Kelsey loved going to the state fair with his dad.  Not only was it a big trip for a farm kid, but he also...

In the late 1800s, this town was in need of a place to hold large gatherings and what resulted was a true gem.  It fell...

In 1791 the U.S. Army lost hundreds of soldiers in battle in present day west central Ohio.  When a new force came back to the...

As this nation neared it's twentieth birthday, President George Washington was intent on securing the land in present day Ohio for settlement.  The force sent...

This family can trace it's lineage to a family member who escaped execution by having himself smuggling out of the country inside a sea chest. ...

This Ohio town has long been known for it's tie to transportation.  Name any mode of travel and they probably have had or still do...

It takes a lot of work to keep up roads and highways.  It a moment I'll take you to the place where it all began...

In Tifton, Georgia there's a place were you can ride a rare, vintage steam locomotive and learn the stories of the early settlers who tapped...

Farming has changed much over the years and many of us still enjoy seeing the ways things were once done.  In a moment I'll take...

One vote may not seem like much, but it's one vote that kept this man as President of the United States…

It had an inauspicious beginning.  A variety show held in the basement of city hall that attracted a couple dozen patrons seated in metal folding...

They were called the Baldknobbers – a group of vigilantes that roamed the Ozarks dispensing justice as they saw fit.  The group still exists but...

There is a very famous tunnel running beneath the surface of a barnyard in Meade, Kansas.  It was built in secret, but today it's very...

The infamous Dalton Gang robbed individuals and businesses in the Midwest during the early 1890s.  But not all of the Dalton children had a life...

It was the end of the train line, and that fact meant that very few towns survived west of here. Today this small town remains...

Some might think there's not too much to see around Faith, South Dakota.  But when people began to do a little digging, it turned out...

When Minnesota plays Iowa in football each year, the winning team will hoist a unique trophy for all to see.  It's a trophy of a...

Some universities may have heated rivalries, but one contest between Minnesota and Iowa crossed the line in the 1930s.  The result of that game was...

Some clothing departments have a section for Big & Tall men.  One particular piece of clothing at Julia's store definitely qualifies for that description and...

Gays Mill, Wisconsin is a town of about 500 people.  However, every September the town will swell to perhaps as many as 10,000 people as...

Many museums hold unique and precious items you won't find anywhere else.  This museum does quite the opposite and that, in some ways, makes it...

When a tree was toppled in a storm near Martha and Steve's rural home in southwestern Wisconsin, they never imaged the string of events that...

In 1965 the Future Farmers of America and the New Farmers of America combined their organizations.  Today we take a look back at the NFA...

Separate but equal was almost always separate and NOT equal.  That was the case in agricultural education as well with two groups helping those who...

At one time is was the grandest of hotels in the state of Virginia.  But the wheels of time eventually forced her shutdown and all...

What's it take to build a large city?  A railroad and nice hotel of course.  It was a winning combination for this city…

Times of war often bring the displacement of families simply fleeing the conflict.  That was the case in this country and one of the focal...

In 1863 and 1864 a place called Camp Nelson in Kentucky became a focal point for men wanting to join the Union army and families...

When the Civil War began, some citizens found that the places they lived were on the wrong side of the line when it came to...

It's called the “mother store” because it was the first of many.  You can still come here to purchase modern merchandise and see how the...