Fort Darling

Wouldn't that be a cute name for a home? In England many of the old houses don't have a street address, just a name. When we've visited historic towns in England, some of the houses had a name plate where the address would be. Paul thinks that you can still register a name for your house with the post office so that it is official. He used to do a newspaper delivery route when he was young and the street addresses would go something like: 1 Bennett Place, 2 Bennett Place, 3 Bennett Place, Eliza's House Bennett Place, 4 Bennett Place.... etc.

On Friday, I was beginning the journey back to North Carolina from Richmond and didn't get far before I saw a sign on the freeway saying "Fort Darling next exit." Intrigued by all the Confederate/Union history here, I figured it would be worth seeing this fort before getting too involved in the drive. I wish I could say I felt more energy after work to do more sight-seeing, but I don't. so ending the day early was all the better for seeing a new place. After a few wrong turns and a consultation of the map, I found the fort at last. The ranger gave me a detailed history lesson (I think he was bored and I was the only one there) and then I made my way along the short trail to the fort. The night before I had just watched a scary show on the Travel Channel about ghosts that are supposed to be still haunting these old battlefields. To feel more safe, I called Paul and talked with him along the walk.

Fort Darling itself is not much of a fort anymore. All that remains that I could see was the cannon that fired at Union battleships coming up the James River. That was neat, but I guess I had envisioned an actual fort complete with stone walls and turrets.

I still like the name, though, and if you ever come to visit don't be surprised if you see "Fort Darling" written on the curb where the address is supposed to be.