Smithfield

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.