About

The John W. Miller House is a prominent landmark in the rolling landscape near Slate Mills in southern Rappahannock County. It was built between 1842 and 1843 using the conventional I-house format. A remodeling in 1880-81 resulted in its lacy Italianate sawnwork porch, central bay window, and bracketed cornice. The façade was extended one bay to the east around 1900. John W. Miller, for whom the house was built, owned and operated the nearby Slate Mills from 1844 to 1871, an industrial complex where he maintained a merchant mill, sawmill, and plaster mill. In addition to the house, the curtilage includes a detached kitchen/servants' quarters, an icehouse, a ca. 1925 barn, and the Miller cemetery. The property remained in the Miller family until 1956. After a period of neglect, the John W. Miller House was restored in the late 1980s.