Bristol, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Walnut Grove Plantation

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 23, 2022

1. Walnut Grove Plantation Marker

Inscription. Col. Robert Preston (1750-1833) acquired 720 acres here in the 1780s and established Walnut Grove. Preston had emigrated from Ireland in 1773 and worked as assistant surveyor under his relative William Preston, who laid out vast areas of western Virginia. During the Revolutionary War, Robert Preston joined expeditions against the Cherokee and Loyalists. Gov. Thomas Jefferson appointed him the first surveyor of Washington County in 1779. Preston's frame house, built here ca. 1800, is among the county’s oldest. By the 1830s about 30 enslaved African Americans were laboring on his land. William Clark, of Lewis and Clark, breakfasted at the home of Preston’s son John at Walnut Grove in 1809.

Erected 2018 by Virginia Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number K-123.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Agriculture • Architecture • War, US Revolutionary. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1773.

Location. 36° 38.183′ N, 82° 7.051′ W. Marker

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is in Bristol, Virginia. It is on Lee Highway (U.S. 11/19) 0.1 miles west of Forsythe Road, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Bristol VA 24202, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Tri-Cities Area,

in Southwest Virginia,

and in the Blue Ridge Highlands.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Bristol, Virginia (approx. 0.3 miles away); East Hill Cemetery (approx. 4.2 miles away in Tennessee); a different marker also named East Hill Cemetery (approx. 4.2 miles away in Tennessee); Bristol Trailhead (approx. 4.2 miles away); Founder of Bristol

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 23, 2022

2. Walnut Grove Plantation Marker

(approx. 4.2 miles away in Tennessee); Slave Section of East Hill Cemetery (approx. 4.2 miles away); City Historian (approx. 4.2 miles away); First Burial in East Hill Cemetery (approx. 4.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bristol.

Also see . . .
1. Walnut Grove (PDF). National Register of Historic Places nomination for the site, which was listed in 2004. (National Archives) (Submitted on November 11, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. Walnut Grove. Constructed between 1800 and 1815, Walnut Grove is one of Washington County’s oldest extant buildings. (Jeremy Harris and Kalen Martin-Gross, Clio: Your Guide to History, posted March 6, 2019) (Submitted on November 11, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Walnut Grove Plantation House image. Click for full size.

Nyttend via Wikimedia Commons (public domain), January 28, 2017

3. Walnut Grove Plantation House

Front and western side of Walnut Grove. Completed in 1815, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Credits. This page was last revised on April 24, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 11, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 2,483 times since then and 341 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 11, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.