Doswell Travel Plaza - History

Doswell is an unincorporated community in Hanover County in the Central Region of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. Originally called Hanover Junction, it was located on the Virginia Central Railroad (later, part of the C&O) at a crossing of the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad, a north–south route. Both railroads are now owned by CSX Transportation, although the former Virginia Central line is leased to a short-line carrier, Buckingham Branch Railroad. The area near the Doswell train station is a popular train-watching site for railfans.

The name was changed to Doswell in the early 1890s in honor of Major Thomas Doswell (1823—90).^[1] The first Doswell in the area was James Doswell, a captain in the American Revolution.

Formerly consisting primarily of farmland, Doswell currently has many residents who commute to jobs in Richmond.

In 1965 the origonal owners of the site decided to build a classic truck stop to service truckers traveling on I95 and following the establishment of King's Dominion the motel was added.

The construction of Kings Dominion began October 1, 1972. It took nearly two years to build the park. Attractions for the first season in 1974 included the Lion Country Safari and the Scooby Doo roller coaster. After less than two years of construction, Kings Dominion opened to the public on May 3, 1975.