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George Stewart Photo Locations

George Stewart U.S. 40 Photographs - Maryland

In 1949 and again the following year, George R. Stewart made two cross-country treks on U.S. Route 40. All told, he spent almost four months on the road photographing and documenting the landscape and everyday life along the road. His purpose was to record what he saw as he passed. His record captured the grand and the mundane. The resulting book, U.S. 40, was published in 1953. Accompanying his 114 photographs were 92 interpretive essays written in an accessible and enlightening manner. It provides readers with an armchair view of a roadtrip across the continent.

For the past 40+ years I've been revisiting all of the scenes in the book and documenting changes that have occurred since the mid-twentieth century. (In 1983 Thomas and Geraldine Vale published an update titled U.S. 40 Today that showed 72 of the 114 scenes (63%). For the past few years I have been revisiting each scene and shooting a variety of media including:

  • High resolution digital images.
  • Medium format B&W negatives and color transparencies using a camera that is an exact clone to the one Stewart used.
  • 35mm B&W negatives and color transparencies.
  • 360-degree virtual reality images of each scene.

My goal is to have these images published in the first complete update to Stewart's original book. Here are links to many of my U.S. 40 photographs. If you are a publisher and are interested in my work, please contact me.

Bush RiverGeorge Stewart U.S. 40 Photograph No. 06 - Bush River (Belcamp, MD)
"The river scene that Stewart had captured in 1950 is now completely obscured by trees and scrub. Belcamp, MD......."

Baltimore RowsGeorge Stewart U.S. 40 Photograph No. 07 - Baltimore Rows (Baltimore, MD)
"Fayette Street is not longer Alternate Route 40 (although some maps still mark it with that former designation). The row houses on the south side of ......"

Ellicott CityGeorge Stewart U.S. 40 Photograph No. 08 - Ellicott City (Ellicott City, MD)

FrederickGeorge Stewart U.S. 40 Photograph No. 09 - Frederick (Frederick, MD)

Maryland CountrysideGeorge Stewart U.S. 40 Photograph No. 10 - Maryland Countryside (Braddock Heights, MD)
"This has been a challenging scene to replicate. The overlook where Stewart shot his photo remains, however, the hillside below has been reforested an......"

Horrible ExampleGeorge Stewart U.S. 40 Photograph No. 11 - Horrible Example (Funkstown, MD)
"The billboards that irked Stewart so much are still there, but slightly out of the view of this photo......."

Mount ProspectGeorge Stewart U.S. 40 Photograph No. 12 - Mount Prospect (Hagerstown, MD)
"The historic Rochester House was razed a year after Stewart photographed it. The site is now a parking lot. In a face saving move, there is a paintin......"

Conococheague CreekGeorge Stewart U.S. 40 Photograph - Conococheague Creek (Wilson, MD)
"The name Conococheague is Delaware for winding river......."

Ridge and ValleyGeorge Stewart U.S. 40 Photograph No. 13 - Ridge and Valley (Little Orleans, MD)
"This view to the east from the summit of Town Hill remains one of my favorite roadise spots in Maryland. It is on the old alignment of Route 40. The......"

The NarrowsGeorge Stewart U.S. 40 Photograph No. 14 - The Narrows (Cumberland, MD)
"The rocky ledge overlooking the Narrows has been a favorite vantage point for years. Numerous postcard pictures have been taken here. In the valley ......"

From Little Savage MountainGeorge Stewart U.S. 40 Photograph No. 15 - From Little Savage Mountain (Frostburg, MD)
"For almost 100 years artists and photographers captured the scenic view of what would become Route 40 as it descended from the crest of Little Savage ......"

Mason-Dixon LineGeorge Stewart U.S. 40 Photograph No. 16 - Mason-Dixon Line (Strawn, MD)
"This is Route 40's second crossing of the Mason-Dixon Line. Also at this point the trace of Braddock's Roads cuts across the scene. Maryland is in t......"

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Feedback: Do you have corrections or contributions for this page? Want to make a suggestion? Click here to send me an e-mail. I am espcially interested in memories, stories, postcards and photographs. Thanks!

Frank

Last updated: 2011-04-01 19:37:06

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