Smithfield (Blacksburg, Virginia)
Encyclopedia
Smithfield is a plantation outside Blacksburg, Virginia
built from 1772 to 1774 as a home by Col. William Preston. It was the birthplace of two Virginia Governors: James Patton Preston
and John B. Floyd
. The house remained a family home until 1959 when the home was donated to the APVA.
who built the house from 1772 to 1774. Preston was an important colonial political figure, and may have been the author of the Fincastle Resolutions
. He remained on the property, despite frequent threats from nearby Native Americans and the disruptions of the American Revolutionary War
until his death in 1783.
The property then passed to his wife, who lived there until her death forty years later. James Patton Preston
, Virginia Governor, inherited the plantation from his mother. It was also the birthplace and home of his son, William Ballard Preston
.
The house itself is L-shaped, with high ceilings and large rooms. The detailing and proportions of the house are unusual for frontier
homes. More unusually, the master bedroom is placed between the parlor and the dining room on the first floor, implying that Preston wanted to impress his guests with his ornate bedroom furniture.
Blacksburg, Virginia
Blacksburg is an incorporated town located in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States, with a population of 42,620 at the 2010 census. Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Radford are the three principal jurisdictions of the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford Metropolitan Statistical Area which...
built from 1772 to 1774 as a home by Col. William Preston. It was the birthplace of two Virginia Governors: James Patton Preston
James Patton Preston
James Patton Preston was a U.S. political figure. He served as the 20th Governor of Virginia between 1816 and 1819. He was the brother-in-law of John Floyd and uncle of James McDowell and John Buchanan Floyd....
and John B. Floyd
John B. Floyd
John Buchanan Floyd was the 31st Governor of Virginia, U.S. Secretary of War, and the Confederate general in the American Civil War who lost the crucial Battle of Fort Donelson.-Early life:...
. The house remained a family home until 1959 when the home was donated to the APVA.
History
The plantation site was part of 120,000 acres originally granted to James Patton by the British Crown. Patton died in an Indian massacre in 1755. The property passed to Patton's nephew, Colonel William PrestonWilliam Preston
William Preston may refer to:*William Preston , Scottish author of Illustrations of Masonry*William Preston , Irish-born frontier Virginia leader, signer of the Fincastle Resolutions...
who built the house from 1772 to 1774. Preston was an important colonial political figure, and may have been the author of the Fincastle Resolutions
Fincastle Resolutions
The Fincastle Resolutions was a statement adopted on January 20, 1775 by thirteen elected representatives of Fincastle County, Colony of Virginia...
. He remained on the property, despite frequent threats from nearby Native Americans and the disruptions of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
until his death in 1783.
The property then passed to his wife, who lived there until her death forty years later. James Patton Preston
James Patton Preston
James Patton Preston was a U.S. political figure. He served as the 20th Governor of Virginia between 1816 and 1819. He was the brother-in-law of John Floyd and uncle of James McDowell and John Buchanan Floyd....
, Virginia Governor, inherited the plantation from his mother. It was also the birthplace and home of his son, William Ballard Preston
William Ballard Preston
William Ballard Preston was a United States political figure. He served as the U.S. Secretary of the Navy between 1849 and 1850...
.
The house itself is L-shaped, with high ceilings and large rooms. The detailing and proportions of the house are unusual for frontier
Frontier
A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary. 'Frontier' was absorbed into English from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"--the region of a country that fronts on another country .The use of "frontier" to mean "a region at the...
homes. More unusually, the master bedroom is placed between the parlor and the dining room on the first floor, implying that Preston wanted to impress his guests with his ornate bedroom furniture.