The Dallas Journal, Volume 43, 1997 Page: 17

porch that extended across most of the front. In 1912, when Miller's youngest daughter,
Minnie, was mistress of the house, the present Colonial Revival facade was added. It
had a wide two-story veranda across the front, supported by four large fluted columns
and topped by Corinthian capitals.
Elements of the Greek Revival style include the symmetrical appearance of the
facade and the central hallway. However, deviations from typical Greek Revival are
evident in the floor plan, with the inclusion of the double gallery and exterior stair at the
back of the house. Because Millermore is L-shaped and its floor plan is not totally
symmetrical--two rooms on either side of a central hall--its interior cannot be considered
true Greek Revival.
During the last year of his life, William Brown Miller lived quietly in the old home
he had started to build in 1855 and on the land that he loved. 17 In summer, he sat on the
wide back porch in a high-backed, carved arm chair. He could see the old log house, the
barns and corn cribs, and the beautiful woods in which the family cemetery was located.
He could also look down from his hilltop and see the town of Dallas beyond the Trinity
River--a town that had grown from a few log houses and stores in 1846 to what was
considered a metropolis, with a population of more than 40,000 by the turn of the
century.
The last occupants of the family home were Mr. and Mrs. Phil Miller.8 In 1966,
they sold the property to the Good Street Baptist Church, one of the city's larger
downtown congregations wanting to relocate in the residential area.
In the opening months of 1966, W. R. Conger, history teacher in the Dallas
public schools and a trustee of the Texas State Historical Association, made the first
attempt to save the city's only surviving antebellum mansion. It soon became evident
that the task was too large as a sideline endeavor of any existing organization. In the
spring of that year the Dallas Heritage Society was formed. It was chartered by the state
to preserve historic landmarks in the Greater Dallas area. There were four separate local
groups concerned with the story of Dallas' past. The oldest is the Dallas Historical
Society, which dates from 1924, and operates the historical museum in the Hall of State
at Fair Park. Another is the Dallas Genealogical Society, which is concerned mainly with
the records of the community, and is closely identified with the Dallas Public Library.

1977 17 DGS Journal

1977

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DGS Journal