PROJECTS

Chasing the Gettysburg Address

In 1863, a photograph was made at Hanover Junction, Pennsylvania. A steam locomotive is positioned on the tracks and a small crowd gathers at the railroad station. In the center, stands a tall, bearded man dressed in a long frock coat and top hat. Could this be President Abraham Lincoln at a stop on his way to deliver the Gettysburg Address?

Since the 1950s, there has been debate about the photograph and whether this was, indeed, President Lincoln. Certain facts presented seem to dispel this possibility. But, it is known that the President did arrive at Hanover Junction on November 18, 1863, en route to Gettysburg where he made one the greatest American political speeches in history.
 
While moving to a new house not far from Hanover Junction, I discovered the historic railroad station and learned about Abraham Lincoln's journey to Gettysburg. Being a documentary photographer, I was drawn into the 1950s debate on this photograph.
 
I found the vantage point from where the 19th-century image was made and set up my camera to photograph the historic railroad station. As I peered through the viewfinder of my camera, I couldn’t help but wonder what Lincoln would discover if he traveled along the same route, today.
 
Some of the tracks are gone, but what are the perspectives of individuals living along the route? Do they know they are living on such a historic stretch? Are they storytellers like Lincoln on a wide range of topics?
 
And, like the purveyors who proclaim, “George Washington slept here,” are there historic structures that still stand where Lincoln visited or, at least, might have noticed?

Determined to see our history and culture with new eyes, I will journey from New Freedom to Gettysburg. Traveling by car and on foot, I will uncover forgotten historic architecture and meet the people who live along this former historic line. This will be a road trip through south central Pennsylvania with Abraham Lincoln riding shotgun, his spirit guiding the viewfinder to whatever it will encounter.

Common Ground: Keepers of Local Memory

The project, Common Ground: Keepers of Local Memory, focuses on the people and historic societies across Central Pennsylvania keeping history alive. Small-town historical societies occupy a unique and often precarious position within the cultural landscape. Typically housed in former schools, libraries, private homes, or repurposed civic buildings, these organizations function as community archives, museums, and gathering places. The project creates a visual and textual record of the individuals who care for our history and creating a sense of place and identity.

Using large-format film photography and conversation transcripts, the project works to create a record of preservation and community memory-making—components that are central to local history but rarely documented in a systematic way and how everyday citizens shape the historical record of their communities.

Ultimately, the work asks broader questions about who is responsible for history, how memory is maintained at the local level, and what is at stake when the passion about our history disappears. The project is being developed as both a regional documentation initiative and a touring exhibition.

"N.E. Taylor Boatworks Historical Museum" from the documentary project, At the Water's Edge

The Long Way Home

A Documentary Exploration of People, Place, and Belonging in Contemporary America

The Long Way Home is an ongoing documentary photography project exploring the connections between people, place, and belonging in contemporary America. Primarily using a traditional 4×5 large-format film camera, photographer Eric Dusenbery travels through communities and overlooked corners of the American landscape, creating portraits of individuals whose lives reflect the character, memory, and continuity of the places they call home.

The project focuses on people who sustain the social and cultural fabric of their communities through work, creativity, stewardship, and long-standing commitments to place. Subjects include artists, ranchers, historians, small business owners, farmers, and others whose stories often exist beyond the attention of mainstream media. Accompanied by recorded conversations and personal narratives, the photographs explore how individuals shape—and are shaped by—the communities in which they live.

At a time of rapid social, economic, and technological change, The Long Way Home asks enduring questions about identity, memory, and attachment to place. What creates a sense of belonging? How do communities maintain continuity across generations? And what can we learn from those who remain deeply rooted in the landscapes, traditions, and relationships that give meaning to everyday life? Through portraiture and storytelling, the project seeks to create a contemporary record of the people and places that continue to sustain American community life.