Their story, yours and mine -- it’s what we all carry with us on this trip we take, and we owe it to each other to respect our stories and learn from them.
—William Carlos Williams (1883-1963) American poet.
The Miller Homestead is an old farm on Roan Mountain that has been preserved by the State of Tennessee to show visitors what life was like in Appalachia at the turn of the last century. The land was farmed by three generations of Millers from the late 1800s on into the 1960s -- with the home you see above built in 1909 by Nathaniel Miller. Near the visitor parking area is a short, gravel road that leads to the family cemetery and also this very nice overlook of the Roan Highlands (right). [click photos to enlarge]
A sign at the homestead tells their story: Three generations of Millers carved a home and a living out of this rocky mountain soil. Mountain farmers were compelled to be tough, strong, practical, and innovative. They were bound to one another by the bounds of family, hard work and faith. ... This farmstead is preserved as a testament to the grit and courage possessed by the people who farmed the ridges and valleys of the southern Appalachians.
The homestead is open for tours Memorial Day to Labor Day, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday and weekends in October. Old Time Christmas is being celebrated on November 8th this year at the old homestead.
Click here for a more recent post about the house ... with summer photos. :)
For directions and more information about all there is to see and do on Roan Mountain, click here.
—William Carlos Williams (1883-1963) American poet.
The Miller Homestead is an old farm on Roan Mountain that has been preserved by the State of Tennessee to show visitors what life was like in Appalachia at the turn of the last century. The land was farmed by three generations of Millers from the late 1800s on into the 1960s -- with the home you see above built in 1909 by Nathaniel Miller. Near the visitor parking area is a short, gravel road that leads to the family cemetery and also this very nice overlook of the Roan Highlands (right). [click photos to enlarge]
Click here for a more recent post about the house ... with summer photos. :)
For directions and more information about all there is to see and do on Roan Mountain, click here.
The farmstead was the last place my husband and I visited together before he unexpectedly passed away, on Oct 14, 2008, only four days before you posted this beautiful post. We had a wonderful day there with our son and two small granddaughters. Thank you for the memories, although still painful!
ReplyDeleteThe Villages, Florida newspaper today mentioned the Miller Farmstead in Carter County TN being up for consideration in a historical perspective. I was born in Carter County and lived there until age of 13 - so the news clip caught my attention and doing some research I found your site. Most interesting. This is definitely a placew I would like to visit.
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