The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-02-18
Town That Is Not a Town
But a Twentieth Cen
fury Community.
CHARMINGSUBURB;
SPLENDID SCHOOL
The Centre of Chesterfield Coun-
ty-Town Without a Charter
That Is Centre Of Four Rail-
way Lines-Big Opportu-
mites That Are Opened
Up to Investors.
ny rnANK $. wooDsoN.

Chester, Va. February Ill am
writing from one Of the most re-
markablc towns / have ever run across
in all OF my state wide, ana world :
wide travels. and yet 1 am WITHIN
twelve miles OF Richmond cali
Chester town for convenience, but
it isn't "a town in the legal accept
alton OF the term. II isn't even a v.I-
lagc Under the law. There Is moth
ing in tho Virginia statutes that just
exactly describes Chester In Den
mark and sweden ana Norway there
arc settlements like unto chester.
which arc le9aiy known as 'communi-
tics. Tnesc communities are govern
cd not by the laws OF the land, but
rather by the moral sentiment OF the
people sentiment tnat iorbids any
thing that is not good aud virtaous
and upright.
Chester is just ,hnt kind Of "a town
While the folks living within the
limits Of what might be tho town, il
q town charter mad ever been applied
for number somewhere between 80
and 100. these people have never felt
the necessity OF a charter for a town
OF even village government Tney
have been satisfied and arc set salts
fled = have the moral sentiment OF
tho community do the governing. a
police force is not needed her. 10
keep order. The four churches ana
the moral sentiment tina, grows out
from them ana from other good
sources is all that is necessary to
KEEP good order in Chester
some Changes in Time.
Chester 10 almost cqui-distunt be-
tween Richmon1 and Petersburg. be-
Ing twelve miles from the former and
ten miles from the latter. For very
many years II was simply Chester,
place where trains stopped and where
some good people from the Two cities
ntove named had country homes and
sometimes visited yth-Ht A. hotel
sprang up here several years ago. and
did little stunt in the way OF ac-
eominoGntiug summer boarders but
somehow there was but little effort to
make 1t popular, but things materially
changed in that particular, as VIII be
seen later on.
The Scaboard Air Line came along
and made Chester a prominent sta
running from FarnyiIc. in Prince
Edward county. ana travcFsing Cum
ecEland. Powhatan and Chestcrncld
counties, and making Bermuda iiun-
dreds, the james River it's deep
water terminus, was built and meae
Chester ita biggest station. Thcn came
along the Virginia Railway ana Power
COMPANY anu lNaut chester Its Dig
ecs, station between richmond and
Petersburg. running cars by mere, go
ing and coming every half hour in the
iveions day OF twenty-four hours
duration.
Chcstcrdeld's Centre.
Timber lands adjacent were develop
ed by the railway accommodations.
trucking Interests were made mani
fest and a whole lot OF things turned
10 l.-S, a H..
Then TOO. the community" was
Dlighty near TO the centre or the coun-
- OF Chesterfield, and when the TWEEN
tcth century educational idea took
foothold in Chesterfield county, there
were wise people among them Charles
n. Friend, of the county school board.
who saw or thought they saw that
Chester was logically and geographic
caly the educational centre OF the
county. Their efforts resulted in IN.
establishment here of Ole OF the finest
schools in the state. but more OF that
later ON.
The development of timber lands
along the lines OF the Underwater AMI
Western Railway anG dong the route
OF the Scaboard marked Chester as a
timber and lumber centre and,a mill
Ing town. OF This, however there will
be more later on. The possibilities for
made manifest and some of the farm
lands hcreabouts have been dcyciopec
The railway facilities--there b,jtip
three trunk lines, the Atlantic Coast
Line. the Norfolk and Westcru and IN,
Seaboard Air Line; tho ridCwatcr ana
Western and the trolley line, which 10
freight as well as passenger line be.
tween Richmond and P4terHburg-give
the town or community all of the low
p
that Richmond or any other city in
the South enjoys
With abundant timber IL easy reach
with deep water transportation near at
hand and with all OF the competing
railway rates a man is LOCKING for,
do not see why Chester should not he
come one of the leading manufacturing
centres of Virginia.
But possibly the propie who live
here and who enjoy this splendid SUI
brban community life do NOT want
Chester to become n great manufacture
ing centre. That Is for them 10 de-
eide. My business IS TO toll about
Chester as ] have seen ii and TO set
forth its advantages as ! see them.
geographically Speaking.
The town, Or. as may say. the com.
Chesterfield county, in the centre of al
grand farming section. the rich low
grounds of tho James River Valley be-
ing adjacent and the fine corn and
truck growing uplands being to the
other side.
Four railways centre and cross each
other here, Ia viii. the Atlantic Coast
Line. which stops more than a dozen
passenger trains per day; the Seaboard
Air Line. which makes Chester Il prin-
cipal stopping point for all kinds of
trains; the Tidewatcr and Western.
@T TContinifcd ON Eighth Page. !