Original subtitles

(wind whistling)

(dramatic music)

(pleasant music)

- [Narrator] Our aerial journey begins

at the old whaling harbor of New Bedford,

before crossing Buzzards Bay to Martha's Vineyard.

Then it's across to Nantucket, another old whaling island,

before heading north across Nantucket Sound

to Cape Cod and Hyannis Port, home to the Kennedys.

To the north is the Cape Cod National Seashore,

and at the end of the peninsula

is the old harbor of Provincetown.

New Bedford on Massachusetts' south coast

is nicknamed Whaling City, because in the 19th century,

this was one of the largest whaling centers in the world,

and the whale oil brought great wealth to the town.

But by the mid 19th century, the oil was replaced

with another type of fuel, petroleum,

and the whaling industry declined.

It was replaced by the cotton industry,

and the old mills which once employed over 30,000 people

still stand, but today they have found other uses.

In the 1840s, there would have been

around 700 whaling ships on the world's oceans,

and 400 of them were in New Bedford Harbor.

(gulls cawing)

Voyages could sometimes last for years,

as captains sailed the seas in search of whales.

A good catch often meant great riches,

and the crew would get a share.

As a result, whaling drew thousands of men

to sign up and risk their lives.

One feature of the whaling industry

was that captains would welcome men of different races,

and on equal footing.

In fact, in the 1840s,

there was a black captain, Absalom Boston.

The resulting whale oil gave rise to New Bedford

being known as the city that lit the world.

In the middle of the town is the Rotch-Jones-Duff House.

The Rotches were a successful whaling family,

and they built this Greek revival house in the 1830s.

It was bought in 1851 by another whaler,

Edward Coffin Jones.

In 1935, it was sold to Mark Duff,

a descendant of a New Bedford whaling family

who restored the house and garden.

Today it belongs to a local historic preservation group.

Whaling was a tough and dangerous business,

and whalers would visit

the Seamen's Bethel before going to sea.

The chapel was immortalized as the Whaleman's Chapel

in Herman Melville's classic book of 1851, "Moby Dick."

If the 19th century was the great age of sail,

then perhaps the 20th century was the great age of flying,

from early biplanes to modern jets.

And at New Bedford Municipal Airport,

the Wings of Freedom tour had arrived for an air show.

Three World War II aircraft are owned and run

by the Collings Foundation,

which was established in 1979

dedicated to preserve the aircraft

and keep them flying as part of living history.

The Wings of Freedom tour is designed to honor those

who flew in the war,

and educate a younger generation as well.

Visitors can climb aboard, and those lucky enough

to have a ticket can go on a 30 minute flight.

This is the B-25 Mitchell bomber.

And this is a B-17 Flying Fortress,

and one of only 14 still flying in America.

Behind is the B-24 Liberator,

the only restored flying example in the world.

All these aircraft now need a small fortune

to be kept airworthy, and can cost

up to $5,000 per flying hour to operate.

And a new engine on a B-24 will cost nearly $80,000.

The B-17 Flying Fortress is a heavy bomber made famous

for its role in the daylight strategic bombing campaign

over Europe in the 1940s.

The B stands for bomber, not Boeing,

who developed the aircraft in the 1930s.

Nearly 13,000 B-17s were built over a 10 year period.

(dramatic music)

The B-25 Mitchell is a medium bomber,

and perhaps most famous for the Doolittle Raid on Japan

after Pearl Harbor in 1942.

It came into service in 1941,

and nearly 10,000 aircraft were built.

The B-24 Liberator is a heavy bomber,

which saw service in Europe and the Far East.

The aircraft was designed to be mass produced,

and at its peak, a new B-24

rolled off the production line every hour,

and nearly 19,000 were built.

(birds chirping)

Close to the airfield,

and across parts of the state, are cranberry fields.

This dwarf evergreen shrub is found in acidic bogs,

and harvested in an unusual way.

(pleasant music)

Before harvesting the cranberry fields are flooded

so that the water covers the plants by about six inches.

The water wheel harvester,

which has been used for over 50 years,

then removes the fruit from the vines,

allowing the berries to float to the surface.

It is then easy to corral the cranberries

into a corner of the field, and pump them into containers.

Cranberries now have the commercial status of a superfruit,

due to their nutritional and antioxidant qualities.

And about 95% of the crop goes into juice,

packaged as dried fruit, or of course, cranberry sauce.

Such an essential part of the American Thanksgiving meal.

(birds chirping)

At the end of Butler Point

is one of the few seaside golf courses

in New England, the Kittansett Club.

It was founded in 1922,

and is one of America's most prestigious

member only golf clubs,

and for years it has been consistently ranked by Golf Digest

as one of America's hundred greatest golf courses.

The name Kittansett comes from a Native Indian word,

meaning "near the sea."

The best known hole is the third,

which is on an island.

It's a 165 yard par three, and a tee shot

has to cross sand and water to reach the green.

And if a player misses the island,

they will end up taking a shot from the beach,

but only if the tide is out.

Just off the point is Bird Island Lighthouse,

which has a history stretching back to 1819,

making it one of the oldest in the country.

The original lantern would have been lit with whale oil.

(gulls cawing)

In the great age of sail, the bay was full of ships

trading with Europe and the Orient,

as well as all the whaling ships setting out, or returning

with their cargo of whale oil to home ports.

In the middle of Buzzards Bay are the Elizabeth Islands.

The largest is Naushon Island, which is privately owned,

and protected by a family trust.

In fact, seven out of the nine islands

are owned by the same family.

Nashawena Island is the second largest,

and has an official population of just two people.

And at the end of the chain is Cuttyhunk Island,

the site of the first English settlement

in New England around 1605.

On the south side of Buzzards Bay

is the island of Martha's Vineyard,

and the Aquinnah cliffs.

From these shores, the Wampanoag Indians

went hunting for whales centuries before the rise

of the great whaling age of the 19th century.

(gentle piano music)

The brightly colored clay cliffs are now protected,

as they form part of the spirituality and myths

of the Wampanoag people, who form the greater part

of the local population.

(gulls cawing)

Due to the chalk, the sea has a rare aqua color,

especially when the waves pound the cliffs,

and sometimes a reddish color is released,

as the waves wash over them.

Standing on the top is Gay Head Lighthouse,

built in the 1850s, and replacing an earlier one

from the end of the 18th century,

which due to erosion, was getting too close

to the edge of the cliffs.

(gentle music)

The lighthouse was also lowered in height

so that the light, which can be seen

from over 20 miles away,

could get under the dangerous fog

that often rolls into the bay.

(dramatic music)

The main port of entry to Martha's Vineyard

is Vineyard Haven, and known as Nobnocket

by the Wampanoag Native Americans.

Most of the town was built just over 100 years ago,

because in 1883, a terrible fire swept through the old town

and destroyed an area of around 50 acres.

Thankfully, a few of the old houses survived.

Today, it is summer tourism which swells

the year round population of nearly 3,000 people,

and most of the houses are summer residences

where beachside houses for rent

can cost well over $1,500 a week.

During the great age of sail in the 19th century,

the harbor was one of New England's busiest,

as it was in a strategic position for coastal shipping.

And in 1845, nearly 14,000 ships passed through the harbor.

On the east coast of Martha's Vineyard is Oak Bluffs,

which was the first center for tourism

back in the early 19th century

when it was known as Tent City.

This was because the Methodist church members

would come each summer, pitch their tents,

and hold open air meetings.

And after a while, cottages replaced tents,

and Oak Bluffs became a town.

During the summer months, a ferry service runs

from the mainland at Cape Cod,

bringing in holiday visitors

which swell the local population

from 15,000 to 150,000 people.

Over the years, Martha's Vineyard has been

a favorite haunt of the rich and famous,

who can afford the millions of dollars needed

to buy a beachside house.

Edgartown is the largest town on Martha's Vineyard,

and stands opposite Chappaquiddick Island,

which suddenly became internationally known in 1969

when Senator Edward Kennedy was prosecuted

for failing to report an accident

when he drove off Dike Bridge, and his passenger,

Mary Jo Kopechne, was drowned.

The incident caused a national scandal.

Alongside Martha's Vineyard is Nantucket,

and on the west side are a series of low-lying islands.

The first is Muskeget, which is now deserted,

and very difficult to get to except in special boats

due to shifting sand bars and riptides.

The island was designated as a national natural landmark

by the Park Service in 1980.

(waves crashing)

Muskeget is perhaps the most famous

of the southernmost breeding place of gray seals,

which are also known as the Atlantic gray seal,

and the horsehead seal.

(soothing music)

The island is one of the primary seal colonies

off the New England coast,

and since 1972, they have been protected from hunters

by an act of Congress.

And today, around 2,000 pups are born each year

during the autumn.

However, this increase in population has made it

a feeding ground for great white sharks,

who feast on their vulnerable pups.

Tuckernuck Island is owned by its summer residents,

who live in the 35 houses.

The island has no paved roads or public utilities.

Water comes from wells,

and electricity is run from gas power generators

along with solar panels.

And most of the transport is provided by golf carts.

(waves crashing)

For those not wanting such a simple life,

then on Nantucket all the public utilities are available.

The whole island was made an historic district in 1966

to protect the landscape and buildings.

The village of Madaket is on the western end of the island,

where a large number of summer residences

have been built in all shapes and sizes.

In the summer, the population of Nantucket

swells from 10,000 to over 50,000 people

who come to the island for the good weather,

wonderful beaches, glorious sunsets, and peace and quiet.

(gentle guitar music)

Nantucket is also the name of the main town

on the north side of the island.

This was once the world's leading whaling port,

and in Herman Melville's "Moby Dick,"

he refers to the Nantucketers

who search the ocean for whales,

"For the sea is his, he owns it as emperors own empires."

A great fire, fueled by the stocks of whale oil,

destroyed much of the town in 1846.

The same fate that awaited Vineyard Haven

nearly 40 years later.

This, together with the decline of whaling

and the silting up of the harbor

devastated the town,

and it was not until the start of tourism

in the mid 20th century that Nantucket's fortunes looked up.

(gentle music)

Whaling ships have given way to jet catamarans

which ferry passengers to and from the mainland

in excess of 40 miles an hour.

The jet motors ensures that no animals are struck

under the shallow water,

as there are no propellers below the surface.

There are also regular car ferries as well,

and for the wealthier visitor, the local airport

can cope with private jets.

(gentle music)

Needless to say, property on Nantucket,

both to buy as well as rent, is very expensive.

Some houses can cost over $20 million,

and even a small condominium

will set you back around $200,000.

And a beachside rental can set you back

anything up to $20,000 a week.

Nantucket is an expensive playground.

(gentle music)

On the east coast at Siasconset,

the cliffs are lined with expensive summer residences.

However, the sea is slowly eroding the cliffs away,

and it will not be too many years

before the front row of houses

suddenly land up as beach huts.

In 2007, the Sankaty Head Lighthouse,

which was built in 1850, was moved about 100 meters inland

to avoid it tumbling into the sea.

In 1843, an engineer noted that, "There is a fatal spot

"along the coast of Massachusetts

"where many a brave heart and many a gallant ship

"lie buried in one common grave."

The shoals of Nantucket are known and dreaded

by every navigator on the Atlantic,

and the light still shines out today.

On the northern tip of Nantucket

are two finger-like peninsulas,

which form the Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge.

Visitors can see horseshoe crabs, basking seals,

shorebirds, deer, and even raptors.

And right on the end is Great Point Lighthouse,

which has been aiding ships for over three centuries.

On the mainland, across Nantucket Sound,

is Cape Cod, and Hyannis.

The town is much like others in the area,

and in the summer, becomes a major holiday center.

But it's also a town which holds a unique place

in the hearts of many people around the world,

as the home of one of the most popular

post-war presidents in America, John F. Kennedy.

Along the coast is Hyannis Port,

and home to the Kennedy family, and in particular,

John F. Kennedy, the 35th president.

The Kennedy compound is a six acre site

which is now a national historic landmark.

The original house was owned

by the president's father, Joseph Kennedy.

John, along with his brothers and sisters,

spent childhood holidays here.

The house was later used

as the base for his presidential campaign,

and later still as a summer White House.

Over the years, other members of the family

had houses in the compound.

The last resident was Senator Edward Kennedy,

and after his death in 2009,

the compound can become an education center and a museum.

On November the ninth, 1960,

President-elect John F. Kennedy

gave his victory speech here, at the Hyannis Armory

of the Massachusetts National Guard.

It is now on the national register of historic places.

Following the president's tragic assassination

in Dallas in 1963, a small memorial park

was dedicated to his memory.

It's a place where people can quietly sit

and listen to the sea,

and it was at sea that the president spent many happy days

as his family had a lifelong interest in sailing.

The memorial overlooks Lewis Bay,

where he was seen as a boy learning to sail,

and later, taking his own children out to sea.

Cape Cod is a thin, U-shaped peninsula,

and protects Cape Cod Bay,

where Europeans first started whaling in the 17th century.

(dramatic music)

On the east side, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the land,

is the Cape Cod National Seashore.

40 miles of coast, ponds, and pine woods.

It became a national park through the support

of John F. Kennedy in 1961.

And around four million people a year

come to enjoy the unspoiled beaches.

The seashore is one of Massachusetts' true wonders,

and the 19th century American poet and naturalist

Henry David Thoreau wrote after standing on the beach,

"That a man may stand there,

"and put all America behind him."

(dramatic music)

The Cape Cod National Seashore

follows the curve of the peninsula,

right to its northern end.

And at the northern end is Provincetown,

which has a history stretching back

to the early 17th century,

and the arrival of the pilgrim fathers.

With the abundance of fish as well as whales,

it is not surprising that the town flourished

as a major fishing center during the 18th century.

Following the American Revolution, it grew rapidly,

and the population was bolstered

by a number of Portuguese sailors

who after working on American ships, came to settle here.

By the end of the 19th century,

Provincetown was becoming a center for writers and artists,

and as the fishing industry declined,

the art community took over many of the buildings.

Among the writers who once resided here

were Tennessee Williams and Eugene O'Neill,

and artists included Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning.

In the mid '60s, the character of the place

appealed to the hippie movement,

as property was cheap, and rents low,

especially during the winter.

In the 1970s, the town became a pioneer

in promoting gay tourism,

and is now one of the best known

gay summer resorts on the East Coast.

Today, Provincetown attracts around 30,000 visitors a year,

who come not only for the various festivals,

but also the landscape and coast

now part of the national seashore.

It's interesting to think how the founding fathers

would've reacted to this forward, artistic,

and free thinking town.

Perhaps their spirits look down

from the most distinctive monument in the town,

and in fact the tallest granite structure

in the United States.

It commemorates the landing of the pilgrim fathers in 1620,

who spent five weeks here exploring Cape Cod

before heading inland.

It's while the pilgrim fathers were here,

that they drew up the Mayflower Compact,

a forerunner of the American Constitution.

The monument was built in 1907

and was based on the Italian Renaissance tower in Siena,

but it came in for some harsh criticism

because of its lack of relevance.

One Boston architect commented that, "If all they want

"is an architectural curiosity,

"then why not select the Leaning Tower of Pisa

"and be done with it?"

However, an old Provincetown sea captain said,

"That it resembles lighthouses on the coast of Portugal,

"and Provincetown we know is full of Portuguese."

Today, it is climbed by thousands of tourists

from around the world, who get wonderful views

over the whole of Cape Cod.

What a perfect place to finish this journey.

(pleasant music)

(dramatic music)