I began photographing New England churches in the mid-1960's, and the photographs which appear here are a personal selection taken over the succeeding decades. These are the buildings which give New England towns and villages a unique sense of place and define, in many minds, the New England character. Collectively, they are as important to the cultural and architectural history of these villages as are the great cathedrals to the cities of Europe. Regardless of one's religious persuasion, one cannot help but be moved by their presence.

These remarkable small-town, white country structures were erected by local builders, joiners, and occasionally by itinerant master carpenters. There were no registered architects or even schools of architecture in America at the time most of them were built. Their inspiration came from traditional designs and from pattern books. These photographs celebrate New England church architecture and its sense of rightness of proportion, quality of craftsmanship, and commanding siting.

This is also a preservation story. Several of these churches were inspiringly restored by their congregations to their original appearance long before the preservation movement took hold in this country. Many are now threatened by shrinking congregations and high maintenance costs. Some have been damaged by insensitive additions or inappropriate materials. Others have been decommissioned and converted to other uses.

The photographs in this exhibition include images of evocative survivors in the New England landscape. They were taken on 4x5 film, scanned, and printed digitally, and have been manipulated only to maximize the potential of the information contained in the original negative, not to remove content or alter the content.

These images are a selection from the book "White on White: Churches of Rural New England" recently published by The Monacelli Press. A much larger traveling exhibition of photographs from the book is being organized by Historic New England.