Del. Terry Austin introduced legislation in the House of Delegates last Friday to name a portion of US 220 in Botetourt the William Preston Memorial Highway in recognition of the colonial settler’s contributions to Botetourt and Virginia.
The legislation will not change mailing addresses or the highway’s 911 name— Roanoke Road.
The legislation, House Bill 1571, was referred to the House Committee on Transportation that Austin serves on.
The legislation reads, “That the portion of US Route 220 in Botetourt County between the Town of Fincastle and the intersection of State Route 675 (Glebe Road) is hereby designated the ‘William Preston Memorial Highway.’ The Department of Transportation shall place and maintain appropriate markers indicating the designation of this highway. This designation shall not affect any other designation heretofore or hereafter applied to
William Preston is considered the most significant founder and leader of Botetourt County. He was the dominant military and political leader in southwestern Virginia during a 20-year period that included the American Revolution.
He is credited with leading the development of Botetourt, Fincastle and Montgomery counties and was the highest-ranking military officer in those counties. He also served for six years in the Virginia House of Burgesses.
He moved to Greenfield in 1862 and built Greenfield Plantation, part of which is now home to Botetourt Center at Greenfield, an industrial park, and Greenfield Recreation Area.
In 1774 Preston laid out the new town of Fincastle and helped organize Fincastle County with its county seat at the lead mines (now Austinville). He then moved to Draper’s Meadow in Montgomery County and built his Smithfield home. He raised troops and fought in the Revolutionary War. He died on June 27, 1783 at the age of 53.
Historian Rupert Cutler wrote, “His legacy was his family– the most prominent family in southwestern Virginia from the mid-18th century until after the Civil War. His children and grandchildren became governors, members of state legislatures and the U.S. Congress, university presidents, and U.S. ambassadors overseas.”
The Fincastle Resolutions Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution, is constructing a monument to Preston at Greenfield Education and Training Center, and the Botetourt Board of Supervisors has set aside acreage for an historical park area that will include two buildings from the Preston Plantation home site.
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