| Dogtown Common, located in Gloucester Massachusetts, is a five square mile boulder strewn area noted as one of the best examples of a glacial moraine. The deserted area, though populated in the 1700s, was purchased from the city in the early 20th century by the wealthy, philanthropic, and somewhat eccentric Roger Babson. During the Depression Roger initiated a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project for unemployed stone masons to create a 'stone book' by chiseling twenty-four of his favorite words and phrases onto massive boulders. Since then the open field has been replaced by a mature forest and the stone tablets compete with the undergrowth. As with my Holyland series, I'm interested here with one man's vision, draped upon the environment, and how his work transforms over time. When I began the project in 2000 half of the boulders were hidden, obscured by brush. Now the overgrowth has been crudely hacked back and guided tour groups beat down paths to each stone. | | |
