The Elijah Miller House is a historic home in
North White Plains in
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...
. The house is an 18th-century Rhode Island-style farmhouse that was used during the
Revolutionary War by General
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
as a headquarters command post during the
Battle of White Plains
The Battle of White Plains was a battle in the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War, fought on October 28, 1776 near White Plains, New York. Following the retreat of George Washington's Continental Army northward f ...
. The house, which is now a museum, was home to the average Colonial Westchester Ann and Elijah Miller family and contains many artifacts for public viewing.
History
This Elijah Miller house originally sat on a farm and was probably built by John Miller in 1738. John had eight children, one of them being Elijah who was born in 1728. Elijah married a local named Anne Fisher and in 1770, they moved into the Miller house. Eventually, they put an addition on the west end of the house that included a parlor with a corner fireplace, a bedroom with a fireplace, a small porch and two more bedrooms on the second floor of the new addition. Elijah Miller joined the Westchester County Militia and died in August 1776 while in camp. Two of his sons, John and Elijah, were also in the Westchester County Militia, both dying of fever in camp during December 1776.
General
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
occupied the house three times during the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
. The first was October 1776 as a command post during the
Battle of White Plains
The Battle of White Plains was a battle in the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War, fought on October 28, 1776 near White Plains, New York. Following the retreat of George Washington's Continental Army northward f ...
, the second was the summer of 1778, and finally in 1781. Anne Miller, a widow, was General Washington's hostess during his stays. Anne would live to be 96 years old and eventually died in 1819. A Miller daughter, Sarah Miller Cornell, lived at the house until she died in 1838 at age 84. Other people would live at the house and farm the land, such as the last owner and former Armonk Postmaster, Charles Kaiser.
After Westchester County purchased the house in July 1917, it was renovated and opened to the public on October 29, 1918. The house is currently a museum under the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation. Outside of the house is an enormous sycamore tree which undoubtedly was there at the time of General Washington's visit.
By the early 21st century the house was deteriorating from decades of neglect and was open to the public only on a very limited basis. In 2010 the county legislature passed a $1.2 million bond issue to finance its
restoration
Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to:
* Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage
** Audio restoration
** Film restoration
** Image restoration
** Textile restoration
* Restoration ecology
...
.
County executive
A county executive, county manager or county mayor is the head of the executive branch of government in a United States county.
The executive may be an elected or an appointed position. When elected, the executive typically functions either as a ...
Robert Astorino, who had supported
preserving the building five years earlier as a member of the legislature,
veto
A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...
ed the measure, saying it should be supported by private funds.
Due to the hard work of Friends of the Miller House/Washington's Headquarters and Daughters of Liberty's Legacy, Westchester County in May 2017 announced that up to $2 million of funds will be made available to renovate the house.
[Reclaiming Miller House, and our history: Editorial ''lohud.com'' May 4, 2017 http://www.lohud.com/story/opinion/editorials/2017/05/04/reclaiming-miller-house-and-our-history-editorial/101283306/ Accessed May 4, 2017]
See also
*
*
References
External links
Friends of Miller House WebsiteWestchester County - Washington's Headquarters/Miller Farmhouse
{{National Register of Historic Places
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)
Historic house museums in Westchester County, New York
National Register of Historic Places in Westchester County, New York