In September 2019 I traveled out to southwestern Minnesota to visit Pipestone National Monument. This unit of the National Park System was created in 1937 in large part to preserve the pipestone (Sioux argillite, also known as catlinite) which American Indians have quarried here for at least two millennia. It is a sacred site for …
The Great New York State Fair is a focal point in the annual calendar of rural New York State. Coming at the very end of August and ending on Labor Day, it is a riotous and fitting way to bring the summer season to a close. With my wife volunteering at the Wool Center, I …
In May 2019 I had the chance to attend the Michigan Historic Preservation Network‘s annual conference. The conference was held in the historic city of Holland, MI, and I was hooked. It is a beautiful small city, with a fantastic historic district. I brought my 4×5 camera with me, and was able to take some …
The Lehigh Valley Railroad Roundhouse was built in 1916 in Manchester, NY, a small town between Rochester and Syracuse. This semicircular building once was a key part of the largest freight yard and locomotive service facility in the world. Almost 450 feet across, the inner part of the semicircle contains 30 service bays where railroad …
The Seven to Save list which was released by the Preservation League of New York State in 2016 included this architectural landmark, the Dutch Reformed Church in Newburgh, NY. The City of Newburgh’s Planning Department arranged for me to see the interior of the church in late March of 2016 so that I could conduct …
Continuing my series of posts on the HABS/HAER photography that I did on a volunteer basis on behalf of the Preservation League of New York State. The second round of Seven to Save photographs that I did in 2018 included a category: Wells Barns. This was a fascinating experience, and gave me access to barns …
I have worked with the Preservation League of New York State on a volunteer basis since 2016, providing HABS/HAER photography for their Seven to Save program. Through this program the League identifies the state’s most important and threatened historic resources. Every two years the League selects seven threatened properties or groups of properties. Over the …
I have had a long-standing relationship with the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse, NY. In 2007, I conducted HABS/HAER photography of hydroelectric facilities and dam at canal facilities throughout New York State. The purpose of this volunteer effort was to form the backbone of a major exhibit that opened at the Museum in 2008. In …
In 2011 I had the opportunity to photograph the hydroelectric powerhouse at Proctor, Vermont. This station was built in 1904 as the source of power for the Vermont Marble mill in Proctor. The original generating equipment remained in use, but the new owners of the plant, the Central Vermont Public Service, planned to upgrade the …
Saccarappa Hydroelectric Project, Maine In late 2015, I collaborated with my colleagues at Sutherland Conservation and Consulting on the documentation of a historic hydroelectric station in Westbrook, ME. This hydroelectric project was built on the Presumpscot River in downtown Westbrook in 1907. It was built by the S.D. Warren Company, which made paper from pulp. As …