Twenty years ago, Robert Dodd was among a dozen or so farmers tilling the fertile soil in the Black Creek area of southeastern Hanover County.

 

Michael Crescenzo remembers when he first arrived in Hanover County in 1983. "There was very little commercial/retail business in Mechanicsville," said Crescenzo, Hanover's director of planning.

 

Whether evoked in a country store, passed down through generations or bestowed to a credulous newcomer, Hanover County's local lore harks back to bygone eras, rural life and not-so-great moments in history.

 

Legend has it that some old stories from Hanover County simply can't be documented, or agreed upon by those who tell them. Here is a sampling of such tales:

 

It's Saturday night live at the Gospel Chicken House, a former chicken coop and now a place to praise God in Hanover County's rural Montpelier area.

 

A community reflects its people. But it's everyday locals who make up this who's-who list. These vignettes about randomly selected people offer a snapshot of who's happening in Hanover.

 

Ashland, Doswell, Mechanicsville, Montpelier, Old Church, Pamunkey, Scotchtown, Totopotomoy . . . Ever drive up Interstate 95, or east on U.S. 360, or west on U.S. 33, and wonder how all those places in Hanover County got their names?

 

Charles Albert Storke of Wisconsin was 16 when he joined the Union army in February 1864. He was assigned to Company G of the 36th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, which was sent to Virginia that May.

 

A list of some coming festivals and annual events Hanover County:

 

More tax revenue. Business developments. Quick and convenient travel. Those are benefits the Hanover County Municipal Airport brings to the region, Virginia Aviation Department officials say.