A visit to Smithfield Plantation

LCI student Ahmed Reda recounts a recent class field trip:

Yesterday we had an interesting and beneficial trip to the Smithfield Plantation, which was owned and managed by the Preston family through five generations before Virginia Tech managed it. The university took over the facility after the house had been turned into a chicken coop.

The house was built by William Preston, and he designed it to bring back people to the area of Southwest Virginia after an Indian massacre.

I learned about the plantation and the history of this area in Virginia. I learned some parts of American history, too. In addition, the tools and equipment in the house, especially in the kitchen, were my favorite parts of the trip.

Lastly, the weather was more than amazing.

(Photos provided by instructor Cynthia Fields.)