Elijah Miller House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Miller House
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | Virginia Rd., North White Plains, New York |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1738 |
| Built by | John Miller |
| NRHP reference No. | 76001292 |
| Added to NRHP | September 29, 1976 |
The Elijah Miller House is a historic home located in North White Plains, Westchester County, New York. This old farmhouse was built in the 1700s. It became very important during the American Revolutionary War. General George Washington used it as his main command post. This happened during the Battle of White Plains. Today, the house is a museum. You can visit it to see many items from the Miller family. They were an average Colonial family who lived there.
Contents
A Home Through History
The Miller Family's Story
The Elijah Miller House was once part of a huge farm. It covered about 600 acres (2.4 square kilometers). John Miller likely built the house in 1738. He had eight children. One of them was Elijah, born in 1728.
Elijah married a local woman named Anne Fisher. In 1770, they moved into the Miller House. Later, they added more rooms to the house. This included a new living room with a fireplace. There was also a bedroom with its own fireplace. Two more bedrooms were added upstairs.
Elijah Miller joined the local army, called the Westchester County Militia. Sadly, he died in August 1776 while serving. His two sons, John and Elijah, also joined the militia. Both of them died from a fever in December 1776.
General Washington's Headquarters
General George Washington stayed at the Miller House three times. This was during the American Revolutionary War. His first visit was in October 1776. He used the house as his command center during the Battle of White Plains. He returned in the summer of 1778. His final stay was in 1781.
Anne Miller, who was now a widow, hosted General Washington. She lived a very long life, reaching 96 years old. Anne passed away in 1819. One of her daughters, Sarah Miller Cornell, lived in the house until she died in 1838. She was 84 years old. Other people lived in the house and farmed the land over the years.
Becoming a Museum
Westchester County bought the house in July 1917. After some work, it opened to the public on October 29, 1918. Today, it is a museum. It is managed by the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation. Outside the house, there is a giant sycamore tree. This tree was likely there when General Washington visited!
For many years, the house was not well cared for. It was only open to visitors a few times a year. In 2010, the county government planned to spend money to fix it. However, the county executive, Robert Astorino, stopped the plan. He thought private groups should pay for the repairs.
Thanks to groups like "Friends of the Miller House/Washington's Headquarters" and "Daughters of Liberty's Legacy," things changed. In May 2017, Westchester County announced good news. They would provide up to $2 million to fix up the historic house.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in northern Westchester County, New York
- List of Washington's Headquarters during the Revolutionary War
