A “Plantation Map of the Greenfield-Amsterdam Community” shows Tinker Mountain, Buffalo Creek, and the towns of Daleville, Troutville, Trinity and Amsterdam. It also shows the property owner’s names and the roads. The heavy black lines are the outline of Colonel William Preston’s Greenfield estate in a 1772 survey. Ann Layman colored the inside of Preston’s property with green watercolor and donated it to the Botetourt County Historical Society six years ago.
Colonel Preston (1729-1783) was active in the settlement of Virginia’s Appalachian frontier during the second half of the 18th century. By the time of his death he controlled more than 100,000 acres. His participation in the Revolutionary War was driven by his desire to be free of restraints imposed from afar.
This map is a large framed reproduction of the original map which is in “Kegley’s Virginia Frontier “ by F.B. Kegley. His book tells the story of Southwest Virginia when it was one of the most extensive frontiers of any of the original 13 colonies.
~ Botetourt County Museum of History & Culture
