Miller house placed

on historic register
By Scott Nicholson

It’s more than a century old but it’s still providing family comfort.

The John Smith Miller house is Watauga County’s newest addition to the National Register of Historic Places, with the Victorian-style farmhouse in the Meat Camp area earning the recognition in January.

The family had sought to register the homestead because of its unique architectural features though it’s two-story frame is typical of farmhouse exteriors of the period.

The house was constructed by Miller in 1906. The Miller family originally settled in the region in the late 1700’s, said Miller’s granddaughter Jean Beach.

The house is still occupied by Beach’s sister and has remained in the Miller family since its construction.
John Smith Miller was a sheep farmer and a champion bluegrass fiddler who traveled the area to perform music.

It remained as a farm through Beach’s father, Henry Miller, and still has a six-acre property on Chestnut Grove Road.

Miller, after the death of his wife Launa Elizabeth Miller, reared their three children in the house: Nellie Miller Brown, Henry W. Miller and Belle Miller Winebarger.

Henry reared his 10 children there.

Beach said the family wanted to place it on the register because of its history and the care its received by staying in the family.

“It’s 103 years old and we’re proud of it because it’s been left original,” she said.

The house has chestnut framing and retains its original floor plan, with oak flooring and handmade wooden doors featuring China knobs. It has two back-to-back fireplaces crafted from mud and local stone.

The eaves have unique circular designs handcrafted by Miller, as well as a standard Victorian-era balcony.

There are about 7,500 North Carolina structures on the National Register of Historic Places, with the program started in 1969.

The register is geared to “reflect the whole spectrum of the state’s human experience through its long history of past life and its diverse communities.”