Architectural survey of the Jefferson Davis Highway between Richmond and Chester, Virginia.

Before the Interstate system was built This stretch of federal highway was the primary corridor for all interstate travel. Unique regional businesses populated the highway affording a different experience depending on the locality.

After the Interstate highway system was complete the Jefferson Davis Highway fell into a period of decline and blight.

Today this roadway is mostly a franchise ghetto, peppered with low income trailer parks and industrial facilities. Some new local ownership is emerging in the form of immigrant businesses, often housed in the still recognizable shells of faded corporate brands.

The visual experience traveling the Jefferson Davis Highway ranges from the depressing to the surprising. Glimpses remain of it’s original glory, but more pointedly it shows us how much of that nostalgic way of life that once defined Middle America has largely vanished.