Miller House and Mill, 1933, Cervin Robinson, Stanley P. Mixon Photographer
The House of Miller at Millbach present day.
The House of Miller at Millbach also known as Mueller House and Illig's Mill was built in 1752 by George Miller (1706-1791) and his wife Maria Catharina Stump (1711-1787) on Mill Creek. Scandal broke out when George left his wife behind and moved to North Carolina with a servant girl to be a tavern keeper on Abbots Creek in Rowan County where he established a gristmill.
Prior to the start of the auction at Millbach.
There are two carved date stones - the one on the house reads “JERG MULER / 17 MARIA CATR M 52” and the other for the mill, “1784 / GOTT ALEIN DE EHR (God alone the Honor) / MICHAEL MIELER / M ELISABET MILERN.” The interior of the house has a Germanic floor plan with a stove room, large kitchen, and bedchamber on the first floor.
Michael Miller married Maria Elisabeth Becker in 1755. They had eight sons and two daughters, although four sons died prior to Michael and Maria.
Inside the mill portion of the property. Notice the catalogues items numbered for the auction.
The estate which totaled $1,400 showed the wealth that Maria Elisabeth and John enjoyed at The House of Miller at Millbach. She died in 1843 and John died 1848. The House of Miller transferred to the Illig family which would stay in the family until 1936 when it was known as Illig's Mill. It ceased operation as a mill in 1941.
It was during the ownership of the Illig family that the newly opened Philadelphia Museum of Art understood the importance of colonial architecture and acquired through donation from Mrs. Pierre S. du Pont and Mr. and Mrs Lammot du Pont the kitchen, fireplace, staircase and other moldings from the interior of Millbach. In 1926, the major woodwork was removed from the original house to the Philadelphia Museum of Art where the rooms were recreated and exhibited and known as the Millbach Rooms.
Items displayed inside the barn prior to the sale.
"Another phase of colonial art in Pennsylvania is shown by the remarkable woodwork of a Pennsylvania-German house of 1752, perhaps unique among those preserved, the gift of Mrs. Pierre S. du Pont and Mr. and Mrs. Lammot du Pont. The house has the structural character familiar in New England work of the seventeenth century, with elaborately moulded posts and summer beams. A partition, of richly moulded sheathing, is of oak instead of the New England pine. The staircase is unique in America, so far as is known, in having square moulded balusters of the type common in the period of Louis XIV and William III. The woodwork will form a harmonious background for the unrivalled collection of Pennsylvania pottery owned by the Museum. With the purchase this year of four additional tulip-decorated chests, representing different Pennsylvania counties, and the gift by Mr. George H. Lorimer of another fine painted chest and two painted chests of drawers, the Museum has secured an unapproached collection in this branch of Pennsylvania craftsmanship."The Philadelphia Museum of Art opened in 1928 with the new Millbach Rooms. This was the first time an interior from a Pennsylvania German house was ever exhibited in an art museum.
On the 1798 Federal Direct Tax, Michael's property consisted of the large stone house, the new two story gristmill which was 50' X 20', a sawmill 40' X 12' with double gears, a large barn 100' X 28', and a log still house 30' X 20'.
The House of Miller at Millbach. Notice the Germanic style gambrel roof.
The original application to the National Register of Historic Places shows some of the additions and deletions to the original structure.
"The roof is gambrel with a kick or bell cast. A pent eave was originally built around the first floor but was removed as is evidenced by the remaining belt course. A pent eave still can be seen on the open end of the gambrel roof. Originally fitted with a 6-over-6 sash, the house is now fitted with Victorian 4-over-4 and lighter frames. A moulded cornice rounds the house just above the second story. A small pedimented eave portico hangs over the front door while a veranda is on the rear of the house. The house has a basement with windows on the ground level.
Attached to the Miller house is a stone mill building built in 1784 on the foundations of an earlier log structure. The Mill building is built of limestone cut similar the the house. It has a gable roof, is 2 1/2 stories high and has circular windows at each gable end of the building. The present porch replaces an original pent roof and the string course between the floors indicates that a pent was once there. Window placement on the outside wall of the mill is irregular and the main feature of the mill is a door built into a dormer with an extended pediment over the door. The mill also has a beautifully done raised panel door."
The audience inside during the bidding.
Much of the uncatalogued Stiegel type glassware with aggressive bidding went to David Horst of Lebanon. When the catalogued portion of the auction began, there was a variety of successful bidders including Greg Kramer and other dealers from the Black Angus and Renningers. On site auctions don't have a buyer's premium, but LiveAuctioneers charged a 15% buyer's premium.
A Colebrook Furnace Cast Iron stove with minor rusting and pitting sold for $500. A late 18th/early 19th century wrought iron hearth crane with an arrow finial support beam sold above its estimate of $300-500 for $1,000. There were many blanket chests to choose from. The first to be offered on the auction block was a Lancaster County, Pennsylvania paint decorated softwood miniature dower chest in original black and red decoration with a molded lit, interior walnut till, wrought iron strap hinges with penny ends, dovetailed case and molded bracket base with spurs. With an estimate of $500-1,000 it brought $3,000.
The many pieces of Stiegel Type glass being offered at the auction.
Three of the blanket chests being offered at the auction. Number 62 is Chip Henderson's pride and joy.
One of the many blanket chests sold was a Berks County Unicorn and Lion Decorated Softwood Dower Chest, late 18th/early 19th century with a front having arched panels, center panel having rampant unicorns under tulips flanked by rampant lions under crowns, side panels with potted flowers. It had a molded lid, interior till, wrought iron strap hinges with penny ends, missing wrought iron jaw lock, dovetailed case and molded bracket base. The size was 25"h. x 53"w. x 24"d. with the condition being mostly wear and losses mostly on lid. With an estimate of $2,000-4,000 the Berks County chest brought $10,500.
3rd Quarter of the 18th Century, Millbach, Lebanon County Kas. The highest realized price for the catalogued portion at $40,000. Photo courtesy of Conestoga Auctions.
One of the pieces that certainly fit into The House of Miller was a third quarter of the 18th Century Millbach, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania Kas with a broken arch pediment and central shell carved plinth flanked by scrolling ogee molded cornice. Above a block and triangle dentil molding, central raised panel, flanked by doors with shaped brass key escutcheons, supported by wrought iron rat-tail hinges, pronounced plain quarter columns with molded stiles. The Interior had original shelves and peg hooks secured by rose-head nails, paneled sides, molded base and turned onion feet. All of the raised panels on this schrank had shaped cut corners indigenous to the Milbach area. The size was 96"h. x 72"w. x 23"d. and condition was very good with minor wear and losses. It was the strongest piece at the auction fetching $40,000 with an estimate of $10,000-20,000.
The wooden works inside the mill portion.
The big question was would the famous Millbach be sold along with the antiques. At noon John Hess brought in the attorney A. Mark Winter to announce the terms. There was a reserve on the property. 13.14 acres would be sold with the property. Five percent would be needed that day with the remaining balance in 45 days. John told the audience that he would feel comfortable with a starting price of $200,000. There was one bid. John took a break to discuss the offer with Chip Henderson and the attorney.
The auction continued with uncatalogued items. Shortly after John returned to the podium and said the Millbach would sell and the audience would be given three chances to place their bid. After the third chance, Millbach sold for $215,000. As Colonial Sense was leaving the auction, we saw the new owner enter Millbach with John and the attorney.
It was a day of pleasure to see the iconic Millbach being sold to a proud owner who would carry on the mystical charm of such an Colonial architectural icon as The House of Miller at Millbach. Check out more auction results when we complete the October 2017 Auction Results. Also make sure you view the slide show provided with the article. There are more photos of inside the house and catalogued items.Source: Research, photos & text by Bryan Wright
