National Register of Historic Places

Miller, James, House

Bethel, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Listed
January 17, 1975
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
75001605

About this property

The Oliver Miller Homestead, site of the James Miller House, is a public museum that commemorates pioneer settlers of Western Pennsylvania. It is located in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania's South Park 10 miles (16 km) south of downtown Pittsburgh in South Park Township. The Millers were among the first families in the area when the land was opened for settlement in 1769, a year after The New Purchase was completed at Ft. Stanwix the year prior. This location is primarily associated with the Whiskey Rebellion which put the property at the center of early-American history. With that said, the incident at the Miller farm during the Whiskey Rebellion did not happen at this location, but rather next door at William Miller's farm. Oliver Miller Sr.'s son, James Miller, inherited the farm in 1782 when his father, Oliver Miller Sr., died. In 1794, US Marshal David Lennox was led to the home of William Miller, brother of James, by John Neville (who was related to the Millers through marriage) to issue a writ of non-compliance for not registering his still. It came with a steep fine and a summons to Philadelphia. Varying accounts of the event are in agreement that a shot was fired during the confrontation at William Miller's home by someone in the group of men who confronted the marshal. They were probably farmhands working in the field. The eye-witness account states their language was unknown to Lenox and Neville, which might have been a variation of Irish or Scottish. William Miller's homestead was located on South Park Golf Course, just up the lane from his brother's property. William was the captain of the local militia, and fate would have it that on the same day, the militia was drilling at Mingo Creek. Word quickly reached the militia about the event that had taken place at William's property which culminated in the assault on Neville's home in the coming days. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Location

Bethel, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
40.32000, -80.00640

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Questions about this property

When was Miller, James, House listed on the National Register?

Miller, James, House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 17, 1975.

What type of historic resource is Miller, James, House?

Miller, James, House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Miller, James, House?

The period of significance for Miller, James, House is recorded as the industrial era.

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