Field Trip Fun

I’ve got about 15 minutes before we Skype with my Dad from Guam, so I better hurry :)

Our day has been so fun!

After finishing breakfast and getting ready, we headed out to get some lunch in town. My sister, Melissa, had been to Our Daily Bread with me when she came to visit last year, but my mom had never been before.

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It was pretty busy when we first got there and their Jazz Brunch was still going on, too, so we had some live music for part of our lunch today.

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Since brunch goes until 2 pm on Saturdays, I ordered one of their breakfast sandwiches for lunch instead of a cold sandwich.

This is one of my favorites!

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Their Feta Breakfast Sandwich is on freshly baked whole grain bread with eggs, tomato, feta, oregano, and balsamic vinegar.

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And the best bites have a little of everything ;) Especially that feta with the eggs – yum!

I also had one of their side salads. The olives in it were great! I’ve been liking olives even more since having so many in Spain.

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After leaving the bakery, we went over for Opening Day at The Smithfield Plantation!

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Today turned out to be the perfect weather for it, too! Melissa and I took a tour of the plantation when she visited last year, but it was pouring that day so we didn’t really walk around the grounds at all.

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William Preston was about 45 years old when he moved his family to Smithfield in March of 1774.  He and his wife had seven children at that time, five more children were born at Smithfield.  Colonel Preston began at once to make Smithfield a productive and profitable plantation.

     Colonel Preston had served as a member of the House of Burgesses and held the offices of County Lieutenant, Sheriff, and County Surveyor for Fincastle County Virginia.  One of his greatest contributions was opening up the Kentucky lands for settlement by the colonists who were pushing westward.

     As troubles with England grew, Preston’s political responsiblities increased.  He signed and possibly wrote the Fincastle Resolutions of 1775.  These resolutions expressed the signers’ sense of freedom, liberty, and popular sovereignty.

      In 1776, Montgomery County was formed from Fincastle County and the colonies declared their independence from Great Britain.  Colonel Preston was appointed County Lieutenant and had almost total authority over the new county’s affairs.  During the Revolutionary War, the Preston family and other Patriot families were threatened by the Shawnees and the Cherokees, as well as the many Tories in the New River area.  Colonel Preston lived to rejoice in the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown in October 1781, but died two years later in June 1783 while attending a regimental muster.

Susanna Smith Preston, Colonel Preston’s wife, was left the use and profits of all of her husband’s plantations, slaves, and stock if she remained single and supervised the rearing and education of their children, particularly their daughters.  She lived at Smithfield for forty more years until her death in 1823.  Smithfield continued to be the family seat for several generations afterward.

James Patton Preston, the first child born at Smithfield, inherited Smithfield.  He served in the Virginia House of Delegates, fought in the War of 1812, and was Governor of Virginia from 1816-1819.  He died in 1843 and Smithfield became the home of his son, William Ballard Preston.  William Ballard Preston served in the Virginia General Assembly and in 1849 was appointed Secretary of the Navy under President Zachary Taylor.  A college in Blacksburg, Preston and Olin Institute, was named for him.  It was from this school that Virginia Tech evolved.  William Ballard Preston was the last Preston to make Smithfield his home, but it would remain in the possession of the family for two more generations.

      In 1959, Janie Preston Boulware Lamb, great great grandaughter of Colonel William Preston, presented Smithfield to the Associa
tion for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities
with the stipulation that the newly formed Montgomery County Branch of the APVA would restore, maintain, and open the house to the public.

      Smithfield was first opened to the public in 1964, and today is a living document of the past, a testimony to the bravery and devotion to country of the Prestons who made it their home.

 

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It was so fun to tour the house again. The floors in the majority of the house are the original wood floors, which just amazes me. They’re in such great shape. Plus, there are fireplaces in every single room!

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And with that…I’m gone!

My sister, Mom, and I had a fun afternoon of snacks, drinks, and shopping, but it’s time to Skype so that will have to wait ;)

And we’re taking them to The Palisades for pizza tonight!

 

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8 comments

  1. I love seeing all these local places on your blog!! I’ve been to Smithfield once and it was really cool :)

  2. Beautiful photos. Looks like a wonderful day.

  3. Wow, that house looks amazing! And so does that sandwich :P

  4. I love old plantations and how well preserved they are.

  5. Sounds like a fun day! Those pictures are awesome, i love old houses!

  6. looks like you had a lot of fun! i know you’ve probably mentioned that your dad lives in guam before but i just now registered it because there is a chance my sister and her family are moving there! if they do, i will have to get the lowdown on the guam scene since i would be visiting them :)

  7. Brandi, loved seeing the pics! Tell your fam I said hi! Enjoy your Easter!

  8. How FUN!! I adore places like that!!!

    Glad you got to talk to your Dad. :)

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