NARRATOR: An epic treasure hunt.

TIA: Go, go, go!

NARRATOR: Clues that go back 150 years.

SOPHIA: Stunning.

NARRATOR: And now a brand-new adventure across America.

SOPHIA: This is so amazing!

NARRATOR: Retracing the steps of early explorers, artists, and writers.

SOPHIA: I think this is it!

DOC: No doubt about it.

NARRATOR: The daring journeys.

SARAH: Let's go, let's go!

NARRATOR: The forgotten secrets of the country's very first travel guide.

DOC: That starts clinching it for me.

NARRATOR: For two explorers, it's the quest of a lifetime.

(Sophia and Doc laughing) SOPHIA: We found it.

NARRATOR: To rediscover America's extraordinary treasures.

♪ In the aftermath of the Civil War, a group of artists and writers set out to reunite the country.

Their mission: to discover and celebrate America's picturesque wonders.

Their artwork and tales were bound into the very first travel log for this brand new nation, but it's been largely forgotten until now.

A new chapter is about to begin at America's largest private home, the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.

SOPHIA: Hold up.

Am I in France or North Carolina?

NARRATOR: Grand, opulent.

It was George Vanderbilt's country estate at the height of the Gilded Age.

SOPHIA: This is incredible.

I'm a photojournalist focused on cultural anthropology.

The past is a guide to the present.

It makes you feel so small.

NARRATOR: Inside this private residence is a library teeming with rare books.

DOC: Oh.

(Sophia laughs) Just so many details.

I am a woodcut artist and also do watercolors.

I couldn't help but fall in love with the technology of art that was hundreds of years old.

I'm comfortable in the 1800s.

It seems like home to me.

SOPHIA: Here we are.

DOC: In one of the most amazing libraries on the planet.

NARRATOR: And inside the library... SOPHIA: This is a dream library.

NARRATOR: A treasure of its own.

It's the key to rediscovering America's greatest treasures.

Picturesque America.

♪ A monumental publication.

Over 950 images across 65 serials with art and prose by valiant explorers who changed the way Americans saw their country.

SOPHIA: Let's go!

NARRATOR: Now Sophia and Doc hope to connect the past to the present.

DOC: We're gonna be following those clues from Picturesque America to find the exact location where the artists were, and share how it is today.

SOPHIA: The challenge is finding the locations when you don't think they will still exist after 150 years.

It's kind of daunting.

NARRATOR: A great majority of the artwork in Picturesque America was created by artist Harry Fenn.

DOC: I cannot wait to follow in Harry's footsteps to find these places.

NARRATOR: He was one of the most prolific landscape artists of the 19th century.

DOC: He did so much of this.

There were other artists involved, but he was the key artist.

SOPHIA: Mm-hmm.

NARRATOR: The editor was the famed romantic poet, William Cullen Bryant.

DOC: William Cullen Bryant was all about nature.

Embracing it, taking it in.

SOPHIA: Yeah.

NARRATOR: The passion and influence of Fenn, Cullen Bryant and Vanderbilt contributed to the conservation movement in the United States.

DOC: Let's look for the clues that are gonna help us find all of these places.

NARRATOR: Sophia and Doc will dive into the adventure, starting with The French Broad chapter.

SOPHIA: Well, The French Broad, it's a big river.

It- it covers two states.

(Doc laughing) DOC: One of the things we have to figure out is the route they took.

SOPHIA: The Buncombe Turnpike which is also mentioned, it's the main thoroughfare of the time.

NARRATOR: Sophia and Doc head outside to get a lay of the land.

♪ SOPHIA: Doc, look at this view and not a skyscraper in sight.

(all laughing) NARRATOR: They are joined by Lauren Henry, Biltmore curator of interpretation.

LAUREN: These are the views that George Vanderbilt fell in love with.

At its peak, the estate was about 125,000 acres.

SOPHIA: Wow.

LAUREN: So pretty much everything that you can see.

DOC: I can see why the Vanderbilts came here.

LAUREN: This is recognized as the birthplace of American forestry.

SOPHIA: Wow.

♪ DOC: So in The French Broad, they didn't give us all the hints we wish they had.

But looking at this map, does this tell you anything that would help us?

Can you give us any more clues?

LAUREN: I do know that the Buncombe Turnpike actually passed through part of what is the estate today, just right near our entrance.

SOPHIA: I like the sound of this.

LAUREN: Yeah, so you started in the right place and certainly follow the French Broad River.

I see Warm Springs on this map here.

SOPHIA: Oh yes.

LAUREN: Wondering if that might be what we call Hot Springs today here in North Carolina.

DOC: That's what I would think.

LAUREN: Yeah.

SOPHIA: Okay, so I guess we know where we're heading to next.

Let's go to Hot Springs.

NARRATOR: The treasure hunt has only just begun.

Their first major clue: follow the historic Buncombe Turnpike north along the French Broad River, to Hot Springs, North Carolina.

In the 1800s, it would've been a day's journey in a stagecoach.

Today the trip is only an hour's drive, but Hot Springs remains off the beaten path.

It's the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains.

Here, their goal is to hunt for the exact locations of images in the French Broad chapter, their first order of business, talk to the locals for clues.

DOC: We're kind of on a hunt, Sophia and I. SOPHIA: We are looking for the exact location of the artist Harry Fenns stood to capture these gorgeous images.

DOC: Yeah, where was he- SOPHIA: 150 years ago.

JIM: Yeah, that's a great concept.

NARRATOR: Sophia is a first-generation American, here from New York City.

SOPHIA: Being first generation, I'm starting a new story in this country.

Being able to absorb people's stories really makes me understand the world around me.

DOC: You got any idea where that might be?

JIM: I would assume that this would be nearer the headwaters, but you know, I'm just guessing.

SOPHIA: I've traveled all over the world and I have really never explored the American South.

DOC: Have you seen any rock formations like that?

WOMAN: Nah.

DOC: As an artist, I'm so focused on the visual clues.

Does this even look familiar to you guys?

MAN: No.

DOC: No?

MAN 2: No.

DOC: Buried within those images is all the clues we need, but they're not always easy.

NARRATOR: No matter the challenge, Doc has dedicated his life to this quest.

DOC: Before I die, I'm gonna find every one of them.

And it just says, "the Smoky Mountains," and that's kind of broad.

♪ SOPHIA: Hello.

DOC: We are looking for Wayne.

WAYNE: I might be Wayne.

(all laugh) I'm Wayne.

Yeah.

DOC: This is Sophia.

SOPHIA: Hi.

WAYNE: Hey Sophia.

SOPHIA: Very nice to meet you.

DOC: And Doc.

That's my trail name.

WAYNE: Oh, so what's up doc?

DOC: We're actually on kind of a treasure hunt.

WAYNE: Well, I have a map room upstairs.

I can show you all on big maps.

NARRATOR: Wayne Crosby came to Hot Springs on the Appalachian Trail over 30 years ago, and never left.

SOPHIA: Whoa.

DOC: Now we're talking.

SOPHIA: Oh my gosh.

This is better than Google Maps.

It's 3D.

DOC: So that's where we are now.

So where's the French Broad?

It's connecting us, right?

WAYNE: Yeah, pretty much follows right along through there, and down towards the loop and then it goes on to Tennessee.

DOC: Their route took them along the French Broad.

WAYNE: That was the original road back then.

It's the Drover's Road.

DOC: So that's the route along the river.

SOPHIA: And that's the oldest road in this area.

WAYNE: The oldest road through the area.

It came over the lone pine gap and then down to the river and followed the river up to Asheville.

SOPHIA: That's good that we're on- on the right track.

DOC: Happy trails to you.

WAYNE: Yeah, maybe I'll pull you out of the river.

SOPHIA: We might need all the help we can get.

NARRATOR: Word travels fast in a small town like Hot Springs.

Local historian Taylor Barnhill caught wind of their treasure hunt and invited Doc and Sophia to stop by.

TAYLOR: Welcome to the Paradise of Nowhere.

(Sophia laughs) DOC: We are on an adventure to find all of the places from Picturesque America all over the country.

But we don't know where these locations are.

So hopefully you can help us identify some of these places.

TAYLOR: That's the Drovers Road right there.

DOC: You recognize it?

TAYLOR: The first interstate highway.

DOC: This one might be a little bit more of a challenge.

Mountain Island.

TAYLOR: Well, there's a lot of mountain islands in the French Broad River.

It's a- it's a big river.

DOC: And then we're looking for this one.

They talk about Lover's Leap.

This is "Approach By Night" Another view of Lover's Leap.

TAYLOR: This is not far away.

This is 10 minutes away SOPHIA: From where we are?

DOC: Really?

Could you give us directions or... TAYLOR: I'll take you over there.

DOC: Even better.

♪ NARRATOR: More than 1000 years ago, the Cherokee came to Hot Springs for the healing power of the geothermal springs.

SOPHIA: What a quaint town you have here.

TAYLOR: Isn't it amazing?

NARRATOR: The town grew up around the springs, and became a popular destination for tourists, artists, and writers back in the 1800s.

SOPHIA: Wait, you guys.

We're officially on it.

TAYLOR: We are.

NARRATOR: Hot Springs is one of three places where the Appalachian Trail is also Main Street.

SOPHIA: Oh my gosh.

TAYLOR: The Appalachian Trail.

SOPHIA: We need to commemorate this.

We'll take a feetie.

DOC: Our feet have officially been on the Appalachian Trail.

TAYLOR: Rough looking crowd.

SOPHIA: Everyone say AT.

ALL: AT.

♪ TAYLOR: We are on the Drover's Road right now.

Drovers were usually men and boys driving small herds of animals.

Turkeys, geese, pigs, lots of pigs.

(both laugh) And they wanted to upgrade the old Drover's road to where they could run stage coaches and wagons better.

DOC: That's the key thing for us, 'cause it's literally in the artwork- SOPHIA: Exactly.

DOC: Is the stagecoach, TAYLOR: Hold up.

Hold up right there.

(tapping) We're here.

Step back a few steps.

DOC: Oh, that is one serious chunk of rock.

We n- we need to compare it.

Compare it to the original.

And there we are.

SOPHIA: But wait, look, the road is too narrow.

TAYLOR: Well, 150 years ago, right?

Over the years, the flooding has deposited all this sediment up here, which made it narrower.

DOC: Hey guys, guys, look here at the rock face.

SOPHIA: This is Lover's Leap?

TARLOY: This is Lover's Leap.

♪ SOPHIA: This is great.

We found the spot, but there's more.

Let's go.

DOC: Right.

NARRATOR: Lover's Leap is so dramatic.

Harry Fenn depicted not one, but two images of it.

SOPHIA: Given the foliage, I think, let's move back a little further.

DOC: Yeah, this feels good.

You're right.

I can still see those same cracks.

Look at that.

This is it.

TAYLOR: Wonderful.

I love this.

(Sophia laughs) DOC: Haha, I gotta paint this I gotta paint this.

TAYLOR: Haha.

Wait, you know, this is Lover's Leap right?

SOPHIA: Now we know.

TAYLOR: Have you heard the legend?

SOPHIA: No.

TAYLOR: Oh, it's a ghost story.

BOTH: Ooh.

TAYLOR: Yeah.

NARRATOR: The Legend of Lover's Leap is a tragic star-crossed romance.

TAYLOR: Many, many years ago there was a Cherokee maiden.

Her name was Mist On The Mountain... NARRATOR: The Romeo and Juliet of Western North Carolina.

TAYLOR: And she was betrothed to a man in her own tribe named Tall Pine.

But she was in love with another.

His name was Mahgwah.

NARRATOR: One night the young pair decides to meet on a full moon here at Lover's Leap.

TAYLOR: So they pull their canoe right up over there.

NARRATOR: Just as they hop ashore.

Tall Pine comes paddling across the river and takes Mahgwah's life.

TAYLOR: She starts running up from the riverbank.

She climbs up to the top.

Tall pine was right on her heels, and she leaps.

SOPHIA: So sad.

TAYLOR: It's a sad story.

And many people have seen her ghost here around the rock and even on the top of the rock.

You guys really need to get up to the top.

SOPHIA: Really helpful these ropes are here.

(Doc laughs) DOC: Yes.

I got you SOPHIA: Hope this tree holds me.

DOC: It's quite slippery.

SOPHIA: Like we're in a jungle.

This is much steeper than it looked.

Oh my goodness.

Stunning.

DOC: I can see why it encouraged so many people to change the way they thought about the natural world.

♪ SOPHIA: Mister Taylor.

DOC: Taylor.

TAYLOR: You made it.

DOC: That was spot on.

We loved it, but we did not leap.

(both laughing) TAYLOR: Well, I am deep into this book.

DOC: That's our next vantage point.

TAYLOR: Beautiful.

Up toward Mountain Island.

DOC: Mm-hmm.

TAYLOR: Well this white water is gonna be up the turnpike.

SOPHIA: Thank you so much for showing us both sides of Lover's Leap.

TAYLOR: You're welcome.

You'll have to come back on a full moon, remember?

♪ DOC: The river's getting louder.

We must be getting closer.

(water rushing) SOPHIA: Wait, Doc, this is definitely a dead end.

DOC: They got around this thing with hogs and turkeys.

There's gotta be a way around this.

SOPHIA: There's no way.

I think we gotta get back to town and get new clues.

♪ Hey Wayne, how's it going?

WAYNE: Good.

DOC: We're back.

WAYNE: Yeah, how's your search going?

DOC: Well, we found one pretty fast.

SOPHIA: Yeah, but we hit rock.

Literally straight into rock.

Could not go around it.

WAYNE: Well, when the Drover's Road was there, they used to use what they called side fords around the rock cliffs.

SOPHIA: Oh.

DOC: Okay.

WAYNE: And those were all gone.

You know, they would've been made out of wood or, you know, rock piled in and floods would've taken them away.

So there literally is no way to get up there- DOC: We found that out.

SOPHIA: Yeah.

WAYNE: Without getting in a boat.

SOPHIA: So we have to hit it by water.

WAYNE: You have to hit it by water if you wanna get to that area.

DOC: No trails.

WAYNE: No trails.

And that's a class four rapid, you might wanna find somebody that can help you through that.

♪ A friend of mine, Sarah Jones, she might be somebody that could take you down the river.

♪ SOPHIA: Hello, you must be Sarah.

SARAH: Hey you guys.

NARRATOR: Sarah Jones Decker has been running the French Broad River for more than 20 years.

SARAH: What are y'all getting into?

SOPHIA: Oh.

DOC: A lot of it starts with this.

This- SARAH: May- may I?

SOPHIA: Oh, yes.

(all laugh) DOC: This is Picturesque America.

And this is the French Broad section.

SARAH: Beautiful book.

DOC: This is to us one of the trickiest ones.

It's- just says Mountain Island on the French Broad.

I mean- SOPHIA: We're hearing that there are several islands on the river.

SARAH: There are a lot of islands on the French Broad, but there is one that we still call Mountain Island today.

SOPHIA: Oh, that's the proper name of it.

SARAH: Yep.

SOPHIA: Okay.

DOC: Can we take a alternate trail to get there or?

SARAH: We're gonna have to go down the river, How do you feel about that?

DOC: That's not a bad thing to me.

SOPHIA: Definitely not something I do normally in Manhattan, but you know.

(Doc laughs) SARAH: You don't have class fours in Manhattan?

SOPHIA: When in Rome, right?

So- so I'm ready.

SARAH: Okay.

NARRATOR: The main clue in this image is also the biggest challenge.

Major whitewater rapids.

SARAH: We're gonna be going through a class four rapid today.

Does anybody know what the most dangerous thing in the boat is today besides Doc?

Okay, this is a T grip.

SOPHIA: The paddle.

SARAH: Do you guys know what summer teeth are?

Some are here.

Some are there.

Some are in the river.

(Doc laughs) If you feel like you're gonna fall out, don't, fall in.

Let's do this thing.

SOPHIA: Let's do it.

SARAH: Alright y'all, welcome to the mighty French Broad.

This is all National Forest.

We're not gonna see any structures down here.

There's no mega mansions.

SOPHIA: No skyscrapers?

SARAH: No.

That's your world, city mouse.

(both laugh) What's really special about this section is it probably looks really close to the way Harry saw it.

Okay, y'all ready?

SOPHIA: Ready.

DOC: Yup.

SARAH: Let's go two forward.

DOC: Alright, here we go.

SOPHIA: Oh, yes.

DOC: Get ready for it.

SARAH: Hard, hard, hard.

Go, go, go.

(Doc whooping) DOC: Now we're talking.

(Doc laughs) SOPHIA: That was not number four?

DOC: No.

SARAH: Let's go two forward.

DOC: That was not a class four.

So there would have had to be a bridge or a ferry here.

This side of the river, not this side.

SARAH: Yeah, it's definitely on that side.

DOC: Okay.

That's the route Harry would have taken.

We got to follow Harry.

In his footsteps and his brushstrokes and apparently his paddle strokes today.

♪ SARAH: All right, guys, so we're coming up on Mountain Island here.

Hey, all forward.

All forward.

(Doc whooping) DOC: That was something there.

Here we go!

Hang on.

Fall in, not out.

SARAH: All the way in.

All the way in, y'all.

Take me to the shore.

DOC: We have to find the magic spot, so.

Help me line this up, Sophia.

We gotta be close.

SOPHIA: So- SARAH: You've got your V right here.

SOPHIA: And then you don't have the two ridges.

This is just one.

SARAH: We have to be close.

But you don't see this, right?

We don't have this big monster eddy here.

DOC: Well, I mean, there's a lot of years of erosion.

SARAH: True.

DOC: But- SARAH: I think we should move downstream and keep looking.

Okay, let's go all forward.

♪ We are at our class four for the day.

This is the mighty Frank Bells Rapid.

Frank Bells is the deep swim, okay?

It's deep and dark and cold down there.

Gonna be a lot of water and a lot of movement.

And you guys gotta listen to me.

SOPHIA: So if we do fall in... SARAH: Don't panic.

Stay calm.

And then you are gonna actively swim to river right.

This is the big stuff.

SOPHIA: Oh gosh.

SARAH: Go two forward.

DOC: Get ready.

SARAH: All back.

All right guys, ready?

All forward, all forward, all forward.

Lean in.

SOPHIA: Oh my God.

(Doc whooping) SARAH: All forward, all forward!

Let's go!

Yeah!

Keep it up, keep it up.

Let's go!

Y'all ready?

BOTH: Yes!

♪ SARAH: Y'all ready?

DOC: Yes.

SOPHIA: Yes.

DOC: Ready.

SARAH: All forward hard!

Let's go, come on!

Let's go, let's go!

(all whooping) (Doc laughs) (Sarah whooping) You did it.

(Doc laughs) SOPHIA: Oh my god.

SARAH: Whew.

DOC: Paddles up.

(Doc whoops) SOPHIA: Yeah.

(Doc laughs) DOC: Okay, back to work.

Back to work.

SARAH: All right, you guys.

SOPHIA: Here we are.

DOC: This is so much closer than before.

SARAH: I mean, just looking at the rapid, we've got a lot more water.

We've got a big eddy right here.

DOC: These mountain chains here.

They're not quite lining up on perspective.

SOPHIA: Why don't you go that way and we'll go this way.

DOC: Alright.

SOPHIA: Holler if you find anything.

SARAH: I think we're in the right spot.

SOPHIA: I just think it's a matter of left or right.

SARAH: I say we'll try until it gets dark.

SOPHIA: Hey Doc, are we close?

DOC: This is really lining up up here.

SOPHIA: Alright, we're- we're coming to you.

DOC: So all of a sudden the mountains are opening up.

See how they're kind of lining up?

SOPHIA: Yes.

SARAH: There's our trees.

SOPHIA: The trees are there.

Everything lines up.

Oh my gosh.

And- and the two ridges.

We did it!

SARAH: Good job you guys.

DOC: So now it's my turn to get to work.

♪ ♪ NARRATOR: Wayne's advice has set them up for success.

So Sophia and Doc head back to his outfit for more clues on their treasure hunt.

WAYNE: Set the book down.

We can look at it and I can grab some maps.

DOC: Yeah.

NARRATOR: The next image simply labeled "The Smoky Mountains."

It's a beautiful but vague description.

SOPHIA: This is going to be a challenge.

DOC: We know it's on the French Broad.

WAYNE: Mm-hmm.

DOC: We're assuming it's on the Buncombe Turnpike.

WAYNE: You know, the Smokies is a really big term, but there're these trails and they're really kinda like old logging roads.

It's pretty off the beaten path.

DOC: So what was the elevation around this height?

WAYNE: You're looking at about 1500 feet.

It's a thousand-foot-per- mile hike up to the top and then another thousand-foot-per-mile hike down below.

DOC: It's pretty much 45 degrees the whole way.

WAYNE: Yeah, it's a- it's- it's a climb.

SOPHIA: We're not in Central Park anymore.

DOC: Nope, definitely not.

(Sophia laughs) NARRATOR: One of the only clues Sophia and Doc have to go on is from Wayne.

DOC: Well this is- good way to get a survey of things.

I've been excited about this one.

NARRATOR: Try to find the old logging road and look for a clearing down to the river.

DOC: So what's the starting elevation?

SOPHIA: We're at approximately 1200 feet.

So 400 meters.

This is steeper than the Times Square subway station.

(Doc laughs) My gosh, but same amount of dirt.

♪ Let's just check elevation before we continue.

DOC: Good idea.

SOPHIA: See where we are.

We're roughly at 1500 feet.

DOC: Lemme check the map though to get the topography.

He was saying somewhere around there we'd find the logging road.

Alright, so, okay.

We're no longer in North Carolina.

We're now crossed over into Tennessee.

SOPHIA: First time crossing a state on foot.

DOC: ♪ Dun duh dun ♪ SOPHIA: So that's exciting.

DOC: So yeah, let's investigate a little more.

'Cause based off of what he was saying, this could really be it.

Sophie look, new growth.

So, see all the flatness here?

NARRATOR: Remnants of the old logging road.

SOPHIA: We don't even see the river from here.

NARRATOR: But no clearing.

DOC: That's part of the problem.

Yeah I mean- SOPHIA: Harry would've seen the river.

DOC: The best I think we can do is continue to get a ridge and we can see out.

SOPHIA: Okay.

DOC: Hopefully there'll be a break in some of the forest.

SOPHIA: Yeah, let's continue.

We didn't bring camping gear, so we should keep going before sunset.

DOC: We'll be all right.

SOPHIA: Well, I think I got service, so at least we can order some food.

DOC: I don't think they deliver up here.

(Sophia laughs) SOPHIA: We definitely are getting closer.

We're at about 1800 feet right now.

DOC: Okay, good.

SOPHIA: So... DOC: After that 45 degree climb.

SOPHIA: I can see the tops of the trees already.

I think I see the clearing.

DOC: It's opening up, yeah.

SOPHIA: We're really close.

DOC: And I see a little tiny bit of the French Broad.

So we're getting closer.

SOPHIA: I think the only way is up.

DOC: We're about out of up.

SOPHIA: Okay, let's keep going a little further.

♪ Do you see it?

Do you- DOC: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Oh, look how much of the river you can see.

We almost look too high.

SOPHIA: All right, let me check the elevation here.

DOC: Yeah, because it does seem like, just perspective by eye, we're higher.

SOPHIA: No look, we overshot.

NARRATOR: This time, they found a clearing, but not the vantage point for Harry Fenn's artwork.

SOPHIA: I think we're really gonna have to come back tomorrow.

The Sun's going down so... DOC: When we were on the logging road, we were more at the correct elevation.

So many good vistas from here though.

At least we gotta see the one at the top.

SOPHIA: Yeah.

DOC: That was beautiful.

SOPHIA: Wait, do you see Pyramid Peak?

Doesn't that look familiar to you?

DOC: That- yeah, that- wait a minute, SOPHIA: Oh my God, Doc, we're at elevation.

DOC: All right, all right.

Good.

SOPHIA: Can you bring out the book?

DOC: It's good that we went back down to actually see that.

SOPHIA: I think this is it.

DOC: And just when we were losing faith.

(Doc laughs) SOPHIA: This is a "Harry miracle."

We found it.

We found it.

(Sophia laughs) DOC: Another one down.

SOPHIA: Another one down.

DOC: And now it's time to get my sketchbook out.

♪ ♪ NARRATOR: Two weeks here in Hot Springs have earned Sophia and Doc an extended family status with the locals.

Fly fishing guide Aaron Goswell takes Sophia out on the river.

AARON: So have you ever done this before?

SOPHIA: I've never held a fishing pole.

AARON: Like ever, ever?

SOPHIA: Once at a sporting goods store.

AARON: Oh, wow.

(Sophia laughs) AARON: Everything's about rhythm.

Whether it's the tides of the ocean or here in the- Western North Carolina.

So when you bring it back, I want you to breathe.

Inhale and as you push it back, exhale.

You ready?

SOPHIA: Yup.

AARON: Not so hard, just easy.

SOPHIA: It's like yoga breathing.

AARON: It is like yoga breathing.

SOPHIA: It is very meditative.

AARON: Alright, now lift it up.

There we go.

See, now you're fly fishing.

(Sophia laughs) SOPHIA: I can't believe I'm fly fishing.

AARON: Well, we didn't catch one today, but for your first lesson, you've done pretty well.

Now we gotta teach you how to throw an axe.

SOPHIA: Wait, an axe?

♪ AARON: Oh.

DOC: She's from Manhattan.

What do you want?

AARON: There you go, and that's it.

SOPHIA: Did- no one saw this?

Oh he's with the rooster.

Oh my God.

NARRATOR: Before they head out of town, Sophia and Doc have just one image left to find: a farm on the French Broad.

AARON: That one is kind of tough.

DOC: Isn't it?

'Cause this was 1870.

AARON: Right.

DOC: So this is before the train.

AARON: Right, so right before the train.

DOC: Right, right.

AARON: If you go down River Road... DOC: Mm-hmm AARON: The way it's- it's like that- is kind of choppy water, and it doesn't appear to be too deep.

Or it could be a little farther up... DOC: As far as the mountainscape.

AARON: That's kind of what I would say.

DOC: It could be absolutely anywhere.

So we figure what better than to talk to some river guides, right?

'Cause this one is probably the hardest one to find for us.

SOPHIE: Of course in this image we have the farmhouse.

GUIDE: Right.

SOPHIE: We're not expecting to have that- that farmhouse.

GUIDE: So dramatic... DOC: Yeah, so you've got a rather serious rock face going right into the French Broad.

GUIDE: That would be downstream from us, it's more rolling.

DOC: Oh, Okay.

SOPHIE: And closer to Tennessee is more... GUIDE: Yes.

SOPHIE: Jagged and steep and- DOC: Towards Tennessee, though.

Shoot.

You guys have been helpful.

But you also left us with a lot of questions.

NARRATOR: Fortunately Doc and Sophia know one of the only local river guides who can run the Tennessee portion of the river.

SARAH: Alright y'all.

You ready to push off?

DOC: Almost, yup.

I think we're good.

SARAH: Got a lot of ground to cover today.

Try to find the farm on the French Broad.

NARRATOR: There is only one viable clue in this image.

The topography, which is much steeper than any of the other images in the French Broad chapter.

DOC: Now we're talking.

SOPHIE: Wow.

This is so beautiful.

This is Picturesque America people.

♪ Here we go.

(Sophia whooping) Doc, this is beautiful, but the imagery does not really show what we're seeing.

DOC: As Sarah said, the topography gets much different when we get further.

But you're right.

There's no mountains coming straight out of the water here.

♪ Whoa, whoa, whoa.

What was that you were saying about the topography?

SOPHIE: Doc.

Doc, no way.

(Doc laughing) Do you see this?

DOC: I see it.

SOPHIE: I think- I think this is it.

DOC: It's gotta be it.

That's coming straight out of the French Broad.

Look at the saddle.

Right where the farm would have been, right?

SOPHIE: Oh my gosh you can see the plateau.

DOC: Yes.

Sarah, do you see this?

(Sophia screaming) SARAH: Yes, I see it.

(Doc laughs) SARAH: Alright, guys.

There's a big old eddy down here you can catch.

SOPHIA: Oh my gosh.

(all whooping) Congratulations, you guys.

DOC: Keep paddling.

We got it.

SOPHIE: We gotta earn our vantage points, guys.

Work for it.

I doubt Harry actually worked this hard to get to this vantage point.

I really think this is it.

DOC: It is, it is, no doubt about it.

SARAH: I'll never come past this spot and see it the same way again.

DOC: No.

SOPHIA: That's the point.

SARAH: It's beautiful.

Thank you guys.

SOPHIA: Thank you.

♪ NARRATOR: They've discovered the final image here in Hot Springs, but aren't leaving just yet.

♪ SOPHIA: Wow, we've been... DOC: Hey y'all.

SOPHIA: Enjoying your music.

SHEILA: Well don't slip around out there, just come on up here and sit down.

(Sophia laughs) SOPHIA: Well thank you so much.

NARRATOR: Sheila Kay Adams is a world-renowned singer, banjo player and storyteller.

William Ritter is a fiddler and folklorist carrying on old-time music and traditions.

SOPHIA: What kind of music is this?

WILLIAM: Well, it's definitely Appalachian music, but it's not exclusively... SOPHIA: Okay.

WILLIAM: From- from Appalachia.

In fact, you would've found people playing fiddle and banjo music all over the country, just to kind of the rock and roll of its day.

SHEILA: Yeah.

(all laugh) The music that belonged to all of us.

If you were gonna listen to music, you had to make it yourself.

WILLIAM: It's very much melting-pot music.

SHEILA: It really is, the banjo is an African instrument.

WILLIAM: And the Cherokee were really big in fiddling.

And so there's really a lot of different cultures coming together to make this- this music that we're sitting on the porch playing in Hot Springs today.

SHEILA: That's right.

DOC: You got everything in the pot.

WILLIAM: It is musical gumbo.

DOC: Would there be any stories that were around this era, you know, like 1870s, things about the Drovers, things about the Smokies, all these different locations?

WILLIAM: Well, in those days, maybe the drover might be a fiddler 'cause he maybe played the fiddle as he walked along.

Sheila actually knows a song about a drover.

♪ Young Emily was a fair maid ♪ ♪ She loved a driver boy ♪ ♪ He drove in the main for some gold to gain ♪ ♪ Way down in the lowlands low ♪ SOPHIA: Oh my gosh... this is- SHEILA: Now we're going to be playing some more, y'all wanna stop by later on.

DOC: Yeah, I would- SOPHIA: We would love that.

DOC: I would be honored to drop back by.

WILLIAM: Bring that book.

(all laugh) DOC: Thank y'all so much.

SOPHIA: Thank you so much.

SHEILA: I don't know who them people were.

(William laughs) ♪ (all whooping) DOC: Alright!

(clapping) ♪ NARRATOR: Just four hours away, but worlds apart, is Charleston, South Carolina.

Elegant homes, preserved architecture and manicured gardens knit together by waterways.

The Venice of America.

Charleston is dressed up for the party.

And here Sophia and Doc are diving into their next adventure.

The Charleston chapter of Picturesque America.

♪ DOC: Let's dig into what we're gonna do.

It's one of those generic ones like we had in the French Broad.

Now we've got "A Garden in Charleston."

NARRATOR: This treasure hunt begins at the historic White Point Garden.

SOPHIA: It's the first page of the serial.

So we already know it must be really significant.

DOC: They picked the state tree.

SOPHIA: Right.

DOC: But the state tree isn't one that lives forever so... SOPHIA: So it's gonna be wider, taller, or even not around.

DOC: This is just going to be one of the most challenging things we have ever looked for.

SOPHIA: I agree.

NARRATOR: The palmetto tree is one clue, with only a few others in the image to narrow down the hunt.

A piazza to one side of the garden, the circular design, and a fountain.

SOPHIA: Why don't we go check out some gardens, narrow it down and see if we can find the garden.

DOC: Yeah, we'll all go narrow down a couple of hundred gardens down to one, should be no problem.

SOPHIA: And- DOC: We'll find two antebellum ladies and we'll know where we are.

SOPHIA: The ladies with the dog.

DOC: If we find a dog chasing a butterfly, we got it.

Easy.

SOPHIA: Perfect.

♪ NARRATOR: Charleston is the first place in America to protect and preserve a historic district within city limits.

This means the garden from the 1870s might still exist, but there is one looming question.

Is it a public or private garden?

SOPHIA: Look at this one.

DOC: This one we can see in.

Well, there's a couple of piazzas SOPHIA: And kind of circular paths.

DOC: It's just a spectacular garden on his own.

Well, the question I guess is why would he wanna paint from the street?

He would be invited to the garden probably.

SOPHIA: If it was private.

But we don't know yet if it's a public or private garden.

So let's just keep this garden as an option.

DOC: That should be something we should look at as well.

SOPHIA: Yeah.

DOC: Not a piazza.

SOPHIA: It's definitely not the garden.

DOC: Probably not.

Well, there's a fountain.

SOPHIA: Yeah.

DOC: And a large lot, and piazzas.

And yet again, another candidate.

SOPHIA: There's gardens in every corner.

DOC: So many of 'em circular.

Hang on, hold this, hold this.

♪ SOPHIA: So many gardens.

DOC: We're getting to the point where all of them are candidates.

SOPHIA: Yes.

DOC: In this one.

SOPHIA: That's true.

NARRATOR: So many gardens.

So little time.

So Doc and Sophia turned to the locals for clues.

DOC: Have you ever seen a place like that?

WOMAN: I've never seen this.

It almost looks like a backyard.

DOC: Have you seen any palmetto trees that look like that?

WOMAN: All over Charleston.

MAN: Everywhere in South Carolina.

(Doc laughs) DOC: Oh, great.

MAN: Out on the plantations that are out of town.

SOPHIA: Can you help us find the locations, please?

(Doc laughs) MAN: The garden I'm thinking about is on Legare Street It's one of the only streets that would accommodate a garden of this scale.

WOMAN: It's beautiful.

NARRATOR: There are too many gardens in Charleston to visit in a day.

They'll have to dig a little deeper.

An antique map shop in historic Charleston is a good place to start.

♪ SOPHIA: Oh, my goodness.

Look at this place.

LAURA: Good morning.

DOC: Good morning.

SOPHIA: Good morning.

DOC: Hey.

SOPHIA: We're a little bit stuck and we wanted to know if you could help us find a place.

LAURA: Okay.

SOPHIA: From 150 years ago.

(Doc laughs) NARRATOR: Owner Laura Vardell is a true expert on the area.

She grew up just blocks away from her shop.

DOC: This is the garden we're looking for- LAURA: Right.

DOC: But it's probably changed in the last 150 years.

And we have very little information, really, to go by.

You have the verandas here.

LAURA: Uh huh.

There are a number of houses that- that have the portico on the side.

It could be on East Bay Street.

It could be over on Legare Street.

DOC: Okay, gotcha.

LAURA: I'm- I'm gonna point out something that is sort of funny.

It's been more in the recent years that people are putting palmettos in the garden.

They were a scrub tree.

They grew on- along the barrier islands.

It had to have been planted on purpose.

DOC: Okay.

SOPHIA: Oh.

LAURA: Because you wouldn't have found one on the peninsula.

DOC: So what do you really think our odds are of finding this?

LAURA: I don't think you're gonna find it.

DOC: Architecture I'll forget where- NARRATOR: Their visit to the map shop filled in some of the blanks, but left them with many unanswered questions.

♪ DOC: Look over here.

SOPHIA: Look.

NARRATOR: So they had to meet with local historian Dr. Nic Butler in a public garden.

NIC: Very good to see you too.

DOC: I'm really glad you're meeting us today.

We need the people that really understand the local history.

NIC: Sure.

So what are you guys up to?

SOPHIA: So we're on a treasure hunt.

We are looking for a garden in Charleston, which, I know, it's like saying there's a skyscraper in New York City.

DOC: And this particular garden, there's not a lot of clues.

But this building with the piazzas, which actually- SOPHIA: Which we thought it was this.

DOC: Yeah as soon as we came in, we're like, wait a minute.

This is very similar, but of course that's not uncommon in Charleston.

NIC: Right.

SOPHIA: So this might look familiar.

NIC: Yeah, very famous illustration of Charleston from the waterfront there.

That's the southernmost tip of the peninsula, which is White Point Garden.

And you see that public park there.

SOPHIA: Interesting.

DOC: Was this always a public park?

NIC: Well, not always.

But in 1870, it certainly was a public space.

But it would not have been as manicured as this.

SOPHIA: But you think this is a public park?

NIC: I would say that in 1870, that's much more likely to be a private garden next to a residence.

DOC: That should narrow down some of our searches.

NARRATOR: Nic offers to show Doc and Sophia all of Charleston.

But they only have a short window.

SOPHIA: Do you think we'll be able to find the garden?

NIC: Depends on how tenacious you are.

And I encourage you to keep looking.

SOPHIA: We're tenacious.

NIC: Bye y'all.

SOPHIA: Bye.

DOC: See you again.

NARRATOR: So tenacious.

They head straight to meet Karen Pruitt, former president of the Charleston Garden Club, to visit a few private gardens.

DOC: We really kind of need someone that understands the history of gardens.

KAREN: Okay.

This is the garden we're looking for.

SOPHIA: Circular garden.

DOC: Possibly a fountain.

KAREN: I think it's a topiary.

If it were a fountain, I think it would be centered in this circle.

This is a hint that the artist has left for you.

The garden to the side of a house that has double piazzas.

And those would be on a raised basement because that's a very tall house.

SOPHIA: Okay.

DOC: That's a good clue.

KAREN: So let's think about big palmetto trees.

It's a focal point visually, it seems to be outta scale with the people... SOPHIA: Mm-hmm.

KAREN: And the dog... DOC: Mm-hmm.

KAREN: And the topiaries.

DOC: Okay.

NARRATOR: Karen's practiced eye zeroes in on a candidate nearby.

KAREN: This is one of the gardens.

It has a house with double piazzas on a raised basement.

DOC: And this is long too, so... SOPHIA: Really long.

DOC: One of our hypotheses is that Harry couldn't have painted from the sidewalks.

SOPHIA: But there's only two stories.

It doesn't seem as high as the one in the sketch.

KAREN: I think there might be others that would work a little bit better.

SOPHIA: Okay.

DOC: Okay.

SOPHIA: Great.

NARRATOR: Karen dives deeper into the past, while Doc and Sophia visit world-famous contemporary painter, Jonathan Green.

SOPHIA: Hello?

JONATHAN: Hello, look who is here.

SOPHIA: It's my first time in Charleston and I can't- JONATHAN: Oh my, first time.

SOPHIA: It's the architecture, the nature, the culture, the color.

JONATHAN: Well, this city is a very unique city.

SOPHIA: It is.

Every building you look at that has the Carolopolis Award on it.

My ancestors built it and maintained it.

NARRATOR: The Carolopolis Award is given by the Preservation Society of Charleston.

It recognizes historic structures that have been restored here.

JONATHAN: Charleston is valued because of the skills, the technology, the ingenuity, the love of Black people.

And the way I look at my life is not as a person coming from enslavement.

I look at my life as a person coming from the people that did all the work.

SOPHIA: We're here in South Carolina and I've been noticing a lot of Gullah Geechee influences.

But I really wanted to get to know what the culture is.

NARRATOR: Gullah Geechee descend from West African ancestors.

JONATHAN: From my perspective of being Gullah Geechee, everything I do is from the foundation of my upbringing, my background, my culture, experiences.

So I paint about subjects from very significant aspects of my life.

SOPHIA: I love the perspective from the point of view of the woman.

JONATHAN: And in keeping with West African culture, women seldom wear a solid color.

Because they believe that the more designs, the more it keeps the evil spirit away from them.

SOPHIA: Oh, I didn't know that.

NARRATOR: Doc and Sophia want to find a specific image from Picturesque America that portrays a late-19th-century cultural scene.

DOC: This one is of particular importance to us.

because this is one of those slice-of-lifes.

One of those moments in time.

SOPHIA: She's peeling a sweet potato.

JONATHAN: And they're being carried in a sweetgrass basket.

The clearest link for African Americans to Africa is through the basket.

This would be on the Kings Highway.

DOC: Excellent.

JONATHAN: You know we're in modern times, so you're not gonna see too much of that on the main highway anymore.

NARRATOR: Now Sophia and Doc are determined to figure out where the roadside stands once stood.

(indistinct) SOPHIA: Look at the stands.

Oh my gosh.

DOC: There's a few of 'em, but they're all abandoned.

SOPHIA: Wait, please pull over.

There's a historical marker.

DOC: What does it say?

SOPHIA: Sweetgrass baskets.

DOC: Wow.

SOPHIA: I can't read it that fast.

Look.

DOC: Glad you spotted that.

SOPHIA: All right, so let's see.

DOC: "Unique to the Low Country."

SOPHIA: Just like the book said.

DOC: Right, right.

SOPHIA: You think we should keep going this way?

DOC: Yeah, yeah.

SOPHIA: Then we're on track.

NARRATOR: What was once a country road is now a four-lane highway.

DOC: Oh, that one's seen better days.

SOPHIA: Oh yeah.

DOC: Look at that.

NARRATOR: But Sophia and Doc are not giving up.

They're hoping to learn more about this West African art form.

SOPHIA: Imagine when they were all full.

NARRATOR: Their next stop the Sweetgrass Pavilion to meet Lynette Youson and her family.

LYNETTE: I was taught this art by my great- grandmother, and I'm teaching the grandkids how to do it today.

(both laugh) You see the pine needles, sweetgrass, the thick brown is bull rush.

And the South Carolina state tree is the palmetto palm that we bind everything together with.

Everything is local and natural from the Earth.

SOPHIA: So, can you tell us a little bit more about these roadside stands that used to line the highway?

LYNETTE: Oh yes, when I was a child I used to be along the roadside stands with my great-grandmother.

During those days, just about every other house along the highways used to have basket stands.

But today after all the redevelopment, it took a lot of that away.

The artform originally got started here when they brought our ancestors over to cultivate the rice in the rice fields.

This is a rice fanner.

This is what they used to use to winnow the rice.

SOPHIA: To separate the grains?

LYNETTE: To separate the grains.

DOC: So straight- up utilitarian, but it happens to be beautiful.

LYNETTE: Exactly.

(Doc laughs) You can come on out with me and we'll pull a few strands just so you can see what it's like.

DOC: Yeah.

SOPHIA: Please.

LYNETTE: This is the sweetgrass.

What you see out in the marsh is bull rush.

You need your gator boot, sharp knife or machete, that's the one I- DOC: She's got the boots, I got the knife so I'm ready.

SOPHIA: I'm ready.

LYNETTE: Mmm.

The two of you better get together and go out there.

(all laugh) But be aware of the snakes and gators.

SOPHIA: I'll take on the snakes, he'll take the gators.

(all laugh) NARRATOR: Lynette invites Doc and Sophia to one of the remaining roadside stands.

It's run by her cousins ♪ LYNETTE: Sophia and Doc, this is my cousin Alethea I told you all about earlier today.

DOC: Ma'am, good to see you.

ALETHEA: Good seeing y'all too.

LYNETTE: One of the original stands along the highway here.

SOPHIA: Oh my gosh.

LYNETTE: What is that beautiful book?

DOC: This is why Sophia and I are actually here.

So here is a roadside stand.

LYNETTE: Look at that.

ALETHEA: Look at this.

LYNETTE: Sitting down on the ground, doing his thing.

Little horse and buggy.

ALETHEA: She's weaving the basket.

LYNETTE: Wow.

DOC: This is 1870, and so 150 years later, your family tradition is continuing.

LYNETTE: And just like Alethea and her sisters, they still sit out here and weave every day.

ALETHEA: Just keep it going.

That's all.

DOC: I think we've got this one.

LYNETTE: Yes.

(indistinct chatter) (Doc laughing) NARRATOR: Another image found, but the hunt isn't over.

Doc and Sophia meet up with Karen again.

She's uncovered a surprising new clue about the mysterious garden image.

KAREN: We got it.

SOPHIA: No way.

KAREN: We're celebrating.

DOC: You've cracked the code?

KAREN: Come on in.

This is going to blow you away.

SOPHIA: Tell us.

KAREN: In the right hand corner, that is definitely a Charleston piazza.

There's garden to the left of that, a deep garden.

And there are not that many properties in Charleston that exhibit that.

So that narrows it down to about five properties.

SOPHIA: Oh.

DOC: Really, that few?

KAREN: That few, and this is where I started thinking outside the box.

Yes, I'm looking for a garden.

And that's what I've spent all this time doing.

But we're not looking for a garden.

♪ ♪ NARRATOR: Karen is zeroing in on the mysterious garden in Charleston.

She's narrowed it down to about five properties.

But all this time she was overlooking the biggest clue.

KAREN: We're not looking for a garden.

DOC: Okay.

KAREN: What is center forward is a scruffy palmetto tree.

We're not talking about a beautiful tree that has blossoms on it that are fragrant.

DOC: True.

KAREN: We're not talking about a tree that has beautiful leaves in the fall.

Why a big chunky palmetto tree?

NARRATOR: This gave Karen a new idea to dig even deeper in time.

KAREN: This is going to blow you away.

SOPHIA: Tell us.

NARRATOR: Karen discovered one property of particular interest.

KAREN: My research on this indicates that the first three owners of this property were revolutionary war heroes.

NARRATOR: During the Revolutionary War, Fort Moultrie in Charleston Harbor was outnumbered by the British.

KAREN: And here out in Charleston Harbor sits Sir Peter Parker with all of his British ships, and he's ready to blow them to kingdom come.

NARRATOR: But Fort Moultrie was fortified with logs from palmetto trees.

KAREN: A fusillade of all these cannon balls comes into the palmetto logs and just bounces off of them like sponges, because they're fibrous inside.

NARRATOR: The spongy palmetto was triumphant over the British.

It became the revered icon of South Carolina and was added to the state flag in 1861.

KAREN: Our flag is representative of this battle Fort Moultrie.

DOC: So why were they emphasizing the revolutionary symbol in their home?

KAREN: Because it is more of an icon rather than a horticultural symbol.

The original owner of the house was a soldier who was at Fort Moultrie when the British were firing on Charleston Harbor.

And he lived here at this house.

That's why he would plant a palm tree in his yard to begin with.

(all laugh) NARRATOR: The cover artwork isn't about the beauty of the garden, but a statement about the significance of the tree.

While Karen contacts the current owner of this historic property.

Sophia and Doc are invited to hit the water.

SOPHIA: Good morning.

TIA: Hey, how are you doing?

NARRATOR: Tia Clark is the Gullah Geechee crabbing guru of Charleston.

TIA: I'm gonna teach you guys how to crab today.

These are Atlantic blue crabs.

NARRATOR: Doc and Sophia are about to get their hands dirty and learn a thing or two about local traditions.

TIA: They used to say, girls paint their nails and guys don't.

So that would be one way of knowing that that's a female crab without having to touch it.

SOPHIA: Alright, let's go!

(splashes) TIA: Let's go.

Let's see who's got it.

DOC: Pull, pull, pull, pull.

TIA: Come on Sophia.

DOC: I'm gonna make it work.

TIA: Is it heavy?

Oh he's crab dancing, come on Sophia.

Come on.

Hot dog.

(Sophia laughs) DOC: Ugh.

TIA: Toss it right back out.

Quick, quick, quick.

Get it out of the water.

You gotta go, go, go.

DOC: And breathe, breathe.

TIA: You got it.

Come on, be in there.

Yes.

(Tia whooping) SOPHIA: I got one.

TIA: That's what I'm talking about.

(Doc laughs) That is beautiful.

Just beautiful.

SOPHIA: It's a girl.

DOC: Oh, you saw- TIA: Yes, you know.

Why do you know that?

SOPHIA: 'Cause she's got pretty nails!

TIA: All right, pretty nails.

(Doc laughs) SOPHIA: Wow, I've never done this.

TIA: Now that you catch one, you can't keep them all.

That crab needs to be a minimum of 5 inches, so I got this.

A five-inch regulation blue crab... SOPHIA: No.

(Doc laughs) TIA: That's what I'm talking about.

That is a keeper right there.

♪ NARRATOR: Tia's relationship with the water is all about give and take, take and give back.

TIA: Oysters are the keystone species here in our estuary.

And without oysters in this water, no other life is gonna live here.

And what we have behind you is an oyster reef.

NARRATOR: She has championed an oyster restoration project right off her dock.

TIA: So we take galvanized wire and when they land on them, they start actually clustering.

Like you can see here on these pilings.

One male oyster will filter 50 gallons of water a day.

SOPHIA: Oh my, per day.

TIA: So this reef is filtering our water.

It's a habitat for a species that live in here.

And for me, it's pretty cool to just take trash and you put it back in the water and it makes all this life, you know.

DOC: It's not just out here to have fun.

See where your food comes from.

You're actually putting it back into the place that produces the crabs.

TIA: Yeah, thank you.

I mean it's- it's changed my whole life so... DOC: And hopefully thank you for providing dinner tonight.

TIA: Yes.

(all laughing) Alright, speaking of that, let's get on it.

Alright.

♪ NARRATOR: And now, Tia and Gullah Geechee chef Amethyst Ganaway are cooking up an authentic Low Country meal.

TIA: Doc, you wanna go ahead and get us one out of there?

DOC: I will.

TIA: He really is a maniac.

SOPHIA: You need your hands for holding the book.

(Tia laughs) ♪ DOC: Mm-hmm.

SOPHIA: You guys, this smells so good.

AMETHYST: Well we are in South Carolina, ain't nobody gonna bless the food?

(all laughing) ♪ NARRATOR: Sophia and Doc are turning their attention to another mystery image, "A Live Oak on the Ashley."

The hunt for this new treasure begins at Magnolia Plantation.

The text indicates that Harry Fenn came here because it was known for its extraordinary oaks.

SOPHIA: Tah-dah.

DOC: I'm not getting a lot of visual clues.

There's no structures.

SOPHIA: Unfortunately, they didn't go really into detail about the exact location.

They talk about these massive trees with the moss, cathedral-looking enclaves.

NARRATOR: Live oaks are the redwoods of the South.

They live hundreds of years and grow to be massive.

SOPHIA: Maybe we should start closer to the Ashley.

Ready?

Let's find the biggest tree we can find right now.

DOC: We've got to look for something over 300.

Well, hello.

SOPHIA: Hello.

SYDNEY: Hi.

DOC: We're trying to find these places that were featured in Picturesque America.

SYDNEY: Okay.

DOC: 150 years ago.

SYDNEY: Wow, cool.

NARRATOR: As a color display manager, Sydney Schwiebert is an expert on everything that grows here.

DOC: Can you help guide us on the path?

SYDNEY: Of course, yeah, now you have me intrigued.

DOC: There's the magnolia.

SOPHIA: And there's a lot of Spanish moss.

NARRATOR: Sydney points out Spanish moss is neither Spanish nor a moss.

DOC: Would this have been a trail that they would've taken?

SYDNEY: Absolutely.

DOC: So we could at least walk the path and see if anything sparks.

NARRATOR: Sydney sends them towards an array of giant live oaks.

Could one of these be the Live Oak on the Ashley?

SOPHIA: Oh my.

DOC: These are the only ones that would've been still around when Harry was here.

Probably around 300 years old.

SOPHIA: So do you think this could be the tree?

DOC: I think so many of 'em could be the tree.

I'm seeing a lost limb here.

SOPHIA: The one that's broken.

DOC: Right, right.

SOPHIA: Yeah.

DOC: That limb looks like it's 150 years old.

And we also have to take into account there's been hurricanes.

SOPHIA: Let's not kid ourselves.

It's really going to be quite a challenge to get the tree on the Ashley.

DOC: As much as this fellow is amazing, I don't think this is the tree.

NARRATOR: Doc and Sophia leave empty handed.

No live oak on the Ashley.

But one remaining clue leads them to Drayton Hall, another stop on Harry Fenn's tour.

♪ SOPHIA: Oh my gosh, we found more trees.

DOC: Every time we go around the corner, there's something unbelievable.

SOPHIA: But this one actually could be it.

This could be it.

(both laugh) DOC: This could be it.

This could be it.

SOPHIA: This could be.

This could be it.

NARRATOR: If it still exists, the actual live oak would be more than 300 years old.

SOPHIA: Imagine what they've seen.

NARRATOR: But that's not the only challenge.

DOC: What I'm so worried about is that, you know, we've lost the tree that he, you know, drew 150 years ago.

NARRATOR: Many old trees have been lost to hurricanes.

SOPHIA: What about that one over there?

DOC: I think that's a better idea because this is a cluster.

You could not draw any one of these and not add the rest of the trees.

SOPHIA: Okay, well, we need to talk to someone that works here.

♪ NARRATOR: Drayton Hall is the oldest preserved plantation house in the South, completed around 1750.

SOPHIA: We're in awe of this.

CURATOR: Hi, SOPHIA: This house.

Hello.

CURATOR: Welcome to Drayton Hall.

DOC: We're kind of on a little bit of a treasure hunt.

CURATOR: Excellent.

SOPHIA: They say "A live Oak on the Ashley."

So the details are a little bit vague.

CURATOR: This is the Ashley right out this door.

DOC: So we're looking for a 350-, 400-year-old tree.

SOPHIA: Do you have those in stock?

CURATOR: We do.

(all laugh) SOPHIA: Doc, let's go.

CURATOR: Let's go find a tree.

DOC: Alright.

SOPHIA: Well, look at all these trees on the Ashley.

CURATOR: So out here on the front of the house, we have two of the trees that are predating the house.

SOPHIA: Yes.

DOC: Okay, right.

SOPHIA: But the little lakes weren't there when Harry came so... CURATOR: They were not.

DOC: Well, that's very important because when we were looking at the original artwork, we don't see the pond in the drawing.

CURATOR: Pond is new.

SOPHIA: All right, well, thank you.

DOC: Thank you so much.

SOPHIA: We're gonna go to this one now.

DOC: Yeah, there's something in the illustration.

SOPHIA: How long do you think it takes to get there?

DOC: You mean to stroll there?

Not long at all.

SOPHIA: I'll race you.

(Doc laughing) Don't drop the book.

(both laughing) Look at this.

DOC: It's got the right girth.

Wait, wait, check this out.

Look, the entrance road is right there.

I didn't even notice that before.

SOPHIA: Oh my gosh.

DOC: Because they put it real subtly in.

SOPHIA: Wait, I did not notice this.

DOC: We got an indentation here.

There's always something new appearing.

SOPHIA: So wait, if the road is right, then... DOC: This part of the road and that really starts clinching it from me.

SOPHIA: Hold on a minute.

Do you see this branch?

I think it's that one.

DOC: Right, right, right.

Because add 150 years to this limb.

Whoop.

SOPHIA: I think we found the tree.

DOC: This is it.

SOPHIA: This is the Live Oak on the Ashley (both laughing) Okay, now I have to go photograph it.

(laughs) DOC: I gotta go paint it.

(laughs) NARRATOR: Another one for the books.

But one mystery remains, a garden in Charleston.

Back in Charleston's historic district... DOC: Look it's New York ice cream.

NARRATOR: A reason to fuel up for the rest of the treasure hunt.

(Doc laughing) DOC: Oh, there we go.

SOPHIA: That looks so good.

DOC: Cheers.

♪ SOPHIA: Wow, the storm's coming.

So we should keep going before it rains.

DOC: Wait, wait, wait.

Before we do.

SOPHIA: Another marker.

DOC: I always key in on our date, our period of 1870.

SOPHIA: Doc, this says it's the birthplace of preservation.

So we're really in a location that could help us (thunder claps) find the locations before it rains.

I think we really need to- to hurry.

DOC: Wait, let's see if this is open.

♪ JACK: Well, I wanna welcome y'all now to the library at 20 South Battery.

NARRATOR: This house at 20 South Battery is a boutique hotel owned by Dr. Jack Schaeffer.

He completed an historic renovation of this famous property in 2020.

JACK: You know, not many houses have a library like this.

Five stories up.

SOPHIA: We were walking outside and we came across the plaque saying, this is the birth place of preservation.

So we knew we had to come in.

NARRATOR: In 1920, Charlestonians met here at 20 South Battery to start the very first historic preservation society in the US.

JACK: Fortunately for all of us, our forefathers in this city said, we're gonna keep our old houses pretty and nice.

NARRATOR: Over 100 years later, the preservation efforts here would earn the high honor of a Carolopolis Award.

DOC: I don't know if this is in your library by chance.

JACK: It is not.

DOC: Picturesque America is our guidepost.

And one of the places they focused on was none other than Charleston, South Carolina.

This goes through some of the most important places and one of them is... JACK: Oh my gosh.

DOC: 20 South Battery.

JACK: It's right here.

DOC: There we are.

JACK: You know, famous people came here to a party to honor William Cullen Bryant, who was a poet and editor of the New York Evening Post.

DOC: You know who else William Cullen Bryant is?

SOPHIA: I don't.

DOC: He is the editor of this book.

See?

JACK: Whoa, no way.

DOC: Signed by William Cullen Bryant.

JACK: Oh, no way.

Well, he's the one that described this library.

He made a speech here.

SOPHIA: Oh my gosh, I'm getting chills.

DOC: I am.

SOPHIA: I'm getting chills.

(Doc laughs) JACK: And he's the one that said, at this ball, and with all the aristocratic men and women of Charleston, and so proud.

"And I visited this wonderful library, "the finest library in the Southeast that had etchings and fine books."

And that's why I did this library like this.

Exactly from William Cullen Bryant.

Well how come I don't have this book?

(both laugh) I don't understand.

DOC: One of the places that's always been kind of a question to us.

Plainly described as a garden in Charleston.

We've just been looking for the clues in the picture alone.

This is our biggest challenge of the whole adventure.

SOPHIA: Now that we're here and we know William Cullen Bryant stayed here, do you think this possibly could be White Point Gardens?

NARRATOR: Just outside Jack's front door is White Point Garden, where Doc and Sophia began their Charleston treasure hunt.

JACK: This looks like a public garden, because you see they're strolling, the dog is there.

DOC: We've had that debate.

JACK: So that very well- if it's not White Point Gardens, I don't know where it would be.

SOPHIA: Oh my gosh, I- I'm wrapping my head around Harry Fenn being here, William Cullen Bryant being here.

DOC: I feel like it's a little bit of a homecoming to bring back his work to your home.

JACK: Oh, it may not leave.

(all laugh) In fact, put that back.

Put it right there.

It looks very nice right there.

But I wanna tell you, in Charleston we love having guests.

We're gonna have some people over tonight.

Just join us for our cocktail party.

SOPHIA: I'll go get my dress.

♪ NARRATOR: Jack has a convincing argument that the garden in Charleston is the public garden steps from his door.

KAREN: Okay, this is the one I wanted you to see.

NARRATOR: But Karen is set on her theory.

KAREN: The newspapers in 1940s said that there was a two story palmetto tree here.

(Sophia gasps) SOPHIA: Miss Karen.

KAREN: There's your piazzas on a high raised basement.

SOPHIA: Oh, three floors.

KAREN: Three floors.

There is a palmetto tree there.

SOPHIA: Did we find it?

KAREN: I finally realized that it was not about gardens, but about the palmetto tree.

SOPHIA: I have never been so excited to see a palmetto and a garden in my life!

(Doc and Sophia laughing) KAREN: It was the chain of title that made me realize that this house was the house and this garden was the garden.

NARRATOR: At long last, if the mysterious garden is indeed private, this must be the one.

SOPHIA: We found it.

♪ NARRATOR: A successful treasure hunt in the Carolinas comes to an end.

JACK: Oh, y'all look great.

I've been looking for you for 150 years.

NARRATOR: But before Sophia and Doc head out on their next adventure, Jack hosts them for one last hurrah.

SOPHIA: I cannot think of a better way to discover America than through Picturesque America.

DOC: 65 serials, over 950 pieces of artwork all across America, East, West Coast, and everywhere in between.

It's a bit of an undertaking, but we're gonna find each and every one of those.

SOPHIA: It's been a profound experience for kind of my American story.

It really is so touching you're part of my family history, my personal love.

And you're stuck with us.

I mean, I'm sorry.

(all laughing) JACK: Wonderful people.

Thank you for everything.

Cheers.

ALL: Cheers.

♪ ♪ ♪