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Smithfield

Montgomery County · dedicated 1994 · Rte. 314, at Southgate Drive information center, 0.25 miles east of Bypass Rte. 460 intersection, Blacksburg.

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Smithfield, visible to the northeast, was the last home of Col. William Preston, a noted surveyor who fostered the settlement of western lands. Preston was also a Revolutionary officer, Indian fighter, and member of the House of Burgesses. Built soon after 1773, Smithfield is one of the earliest surviving houses in southwestern Virginia. The house is a remarkable expression of architectural sophistication in what only a generation before had been the edge of the frontier. Smithfield remained in the possession of Preston descendants for almost two hundred years.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

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