Map of all the Railroads is a set of documentary photographs inspired by H.V. Poor’s Map of all the Railroads in the United States in Operation and Progress (1854). This historical publication, residing in the collection of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, identifies thirteen railroad cities throughout the state of North Carolina.

In November 2015, I visited twelve of these cities and the site of one former city to survey their progress and contemplate their future. These photographs are observations of the man-altered American landscape and seek to understand of the human experience within it. The images function as a meditation on the passage of time, shifting dynamics of progress and development, and the peculiarities of historic events that shape the present.

I am grateful to Lisa McCarty for coordinating my fellowship, the David M. Rubenstein Library for fellowship and research support, and the Center for Documentary Studies for hosting my stay.