Locals gather to remember history of Blacksburg’s Smithfield Garden

BLACKSBURG, Va. – Dozens gathered in Blacksburg to remember a part of our history and how it continues to shape our future.

Smithfield Garden commemorated its 250th anniversary of the historic home’s completion.

Guests heard from speakers and then gathered by the Memory Tree to write down the names of past relatives from Colonial times to hang on the tree.

These include plantation owners, enslaved people and indigenous people to recognize not only the legacy but also to learn the difficult lessons from our history to forge a better future.

“I’m here to learn the history, not just the stuff that everybody talks about—the Revolution, etc, the Civil War, all that—but all of the history,” said David McEwen, the master gardener at Smithfield Garden.

The former plantation is now a historic and educational site.