Main Chamber

This room served as William and Susanna’s bedchamber and was used primarily as a private space, though it was likely used as a passageway into the Dining Room at times. This room demonstrates a sense of community and hospitality by showcasing two beds in the main chamber - guests to Smithfield would have stayed in the same room as William and Susanna. This room further states the Prestons worldview - that the Western European life is worth spreading and those who move to settle the frontier have the opportunity to live a similar lifestyle. Those ideas translate through the use of artifacts, like the Prussian Blue fireplace surround. Prussian Blue was the first synthetic paint to be created - it was invented in Germany in the early 1700s - so it was extremely expensive. The fact that Preston painted the fireplace in his private bedchamber this undiluted color, shows that he had money to spend, and wished to showcase both his wealth and the opportunities that settling on the frontier afforded, to his guests. The undiluted color of the fireplace surround is a rich, turquoise blue, but is used in other areas of the house: the light, sky blue is prussian blue mixed with white paint and the bluish gray is prussian blue mixed with ash.