Not a huge day of exploring; had been to lunch a while back in Chester, VA with a group of us from work, and got sort of lost and came across some sights. Thought it would be fun to go back, so I give it a quick visit today. It is down on I-95 at Exit 61 (A+B). During my first visit to the Richmond area we stayed at a hotel there, and ate at a local Chili's. Seemed like a nice town, with quite a few stores and strip malls; a bedroom community for Richmond, VA. Came across what I believe was Chester Village Green, a mixed used community which is where I took the photo at left. Got quite a few of those in the Charlotte area, so I stopped to check it out.
This is another view of the Chester Village Green, which is a mix of retail, a library, and apartments. Often go to Huntersville, NC when I am home and visit Birkdale Village there; which is also a mix of apartments, business, and other services (though Birkdale also has a movie theater) and is a nice place to wander and hang out. Charlotte is also making the light rain a sort of giant mixed used development of sorts with the train being the access to the housing and places along the line. Would be nice I would think to not need to travel further then a short walk to get all the things, or most of them at least, that you would need.
While in Chester, visited a Civil War site I had not seen; Battery Dantzer. It was part of the Richmond defenses during the War. Typical of most of the "forts" it was largely an earth work fortress. Both sides in siege warfare used the main material at hand...which was dirt. The battery had a number of troops there, and a number of large guns, and traded fire with nearby Union forces and forts across the James River. It played a role in protecting Confederate Naval Forces after an unsuccessful attack on the Union Supply base at City Point. Many bases such as this running from Richmond to Petersburg and beyond held off the Union Army.
Below is Ft. Drewry/Ft. Darling (called by different names) which is located just off the Jefferson Davis Highway. There on May 15, 1862 guns from the heights there (such as the one seen at left) drove off a fleet of Union gunboats which included the ironclad USS Monitor. The US Navy plan was to shell Richmond from the sea. I have been there before, noticed since the last visit that the gun platform had been painted. It is a good half mile walk to the earthworks which make up the fort, and I could not hardly have picked a hotter or more humid day to visit, but enjoyed my return to it nonetheless. Richmond certainly has a lot of history in the region. I should also note while out in the car today, a blue bird flew real close to the windshield. Apparently, this scared him a great deal, as he left a white gift on the hood of my car! I am told that this is good luck, though a bucket of water removed that lucky sign from the car when I got back to the apartment.
Not a huge day of exploring; had been to lunch a while back in Chester, VA with a group of us from work, and got sort of lost and came across some sights. Thought it would be fun to go back, so I give it a quick visit today. It is down on I-95 at Exit 61 (A+B). During my first visit to the Richmond area we stayed at a hotel there, and ate at a local Chili's. Seemed like a nice town, with quite a few stores and strip malls; a bedroom community for Richmond, VA. Came across what I believe was Chester Village Green, a mixed used community which is where I took the photo at left. Got quite a few of those in the Charlotte area, so I stopped to check it out.
This is another view of the Chester Village Green, which is a mix of retail, a library, and apartments. Often go to Huntersville, NC when I am home and visit Birkdale Village there; which is also a mix of apartments, business, and other services (though Birkdale also has a movie theater) and is a nice place to wander and hang out. Charlotte is also making the light rain a sort of giant mixed used development of sorts with the train being the access to the housing and places along the line. Would be nice I would think to not need to travel further then a short walk to get all the things, or most of them at least, that you would need. 
While in Chester, visited a Civil War site I had not seen; Battery Dantzer. It was part of the Richmond defenses during the War. Typical of most of the "forts" it was largely an earth work fortress. Both sides in siege warfare used the main material at hand...which was dirt. The battery had a number of troops there, and a number of large guns, and traded fire with nearby Union forces and forts across the James River. It played a role in protecting Confederate Naval Forces after an unsuccessful attack on the Union Supply base at City Point. Many bases such as this running from Richmond to Petersburg and beyond held off the Union Army.
Below is Ft. Drewry/Ft. Darling (called by different names) which is located just off the Jefferson Davis Highway. There on May 15, 1862 guns from the heights there (such as the one seen at left) drove off a fleet of Union gunboats which included the ironclad USS Monitor. The US Navy plan was to shell Richmond from the sea. I have been there before, noticed since the last visit that the gun platform had been painted. It is a good half mile walk to the earthworks which make up the fort, and I could not hardly have picked a hotter or more humid day to visit, but enjoyed my return to it nonetheless. Richmond certainly has a lot of history in the region. I should also note while out in the car today, a blue bird flew real close to the windshield. Apparently, this scared him a great deal, as he left a white gift on the hood of my car! I am told that this is good luck, though a bucket of water removed that lucky sign from the car when I got back to the apartment.
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