About the Dixie Highway
Built in the 1920's and stretching from the Northern-most
tip of Michigan to the Southern-most tip of mainland Florida, the Dixie Highway
was the first road to link the North to the South.
The subsequent traffic to warmer climes gave birth to automobile
tourism in the form of motels, diners, and other roadside attractions.
The highway was later replaced by the more efficient Federal
Interstate System that is still in place today.
Old buildings, gas stations, and restaurants still stand
on the forgotten route; some remain in business, others have been vacant for
decades and are in danger of demolition.
Artist's Statement
I strongly believe that photography is the ultimate form
of documentation and is the best way to record something that is in danger
of being destroyed.
Witnessing firsthand the roadside attractions and the rural
landscape of America makes me want to share the experience with others.
My goal is to turn this photographic preservation of the
Dixie Highway into a published book.
Such a book would appeal to many people and generate a
heightened awareness of the road's unique place in American history.
It is projects such as this that can instigate preservation
efforts of buildings along the Dixie Highway and of roadside archeology elsewhere.
Of those buildings that do collapse under the pressure
of time, the ones captured on film will continue to teach people of a bygone
era.
I remain faithful to the power of photography to preserve,
edcate, and bring about change.
