Story and Photos by Mary Casey-Sturk
Madeira has a treasure located at 7226 Miami Avenue. The Miller House Museum is a lovingly preserved Sears, Roebuck & Co. Crescent Model Home circa 1922.
The Miller House was built in 1922 by the DeMar Construction Company to be the home for the Fournier Family. It included a nicely landscaped yard featuring apple, pear and cherry trees.
From 1908-1942, Sears offered kit homes for sale. What is a Sears house? It’s a house that was ordered via a specialty Sears catalog and all supplies were shipped (mostly by rail) to the homeowner who either built the house themselves or used a contractor. The framing lumber was pre-cut and labeled, and all elements were included: doorknobs, windows, hinges, nails, bath tubes, light fixtures, wiring and plumbing. It was as simple as following the instructions! Well, maybe not that simple, but this method of home buying was revolutionary, and remaining Sears Kit Homes are sought after today. Searshouses.com keeps a list of surviving homes throughout the United States.
Today’s Museum
The Miller House Museum is owned and managed by the all-volunteer Madeira Historical Society. Visitors today can view what the home may have looked like in the 1920s when it was constructed and tour two floors and the basement. Hardwood floors and trim, built-ins and original features remain. Explore the gardens (nearly 2 acres) including a walled and sunken garden. Many of the objects and furnishings within the home were donated by local families.
Rooms to explore include a delightful child’s bedroom, the living room area boasting glass-fronted built-ins and photos of the Miller Family, and an added treat is in the basement, home to objects removed from the B & O Railroad Deport including a pot-bellied stove, waiting room bench, and signage. Throughout the House, you can explore more of the history of Madeira and its early families through photos, drawings and more.
Indian Hill Living Magazine recently visited the Museum and spoke with Carol Heck, the volunteer Librarian and Archivist. Heck pointed out some fun house facts.
*The living room’s plaster ceiling became cracked of the years from the road traffic shaking the house. It was restored after ceiling tiles were removed.
*It’s a four-bedroom house. It’s fashioned like when the Millers lived here. They had 4 children, 2 boys, 2 girls.
*On the second floor is a skinny closet, here you can see handwritten notes in pencil that state what gets hung on each hook. Talk about organized!
*This used to be an open closet, the boys could go through it and end up at the other side of the house.
*There was only one heat vent on the second floor.
*The larger windows on the 2nd floor were added to allow more light in. Original windows remain on the first floor.
*There is a nook for the telephone with a holder for a phone book.
*The master bedroom has furnishings recently donated by a local family featuring a bed, dresser and dressing table.
Timeline
As noted, the House was built in 1922 for the Fournier family. In 1938, the Jackson family moves in. Coincidentally, in 1948 Mary Lou Jackson married Russel DeMar, son of the original builder. 1941 welcomed the Drake family who sold the home to Bruce and Elizabeth Miller.
Elizabeth Miller
Bruce and Elizabeth Miller lived in Silverton and were looking for a new location to move to with room for gardening. They came upon what is now known as the Miller House Museum while on a drive and made an offer immediately. They loved the home for years, raising their children within these walls.
Elizabeth was born in Rhode Island in 1907 and earned a law degree from George Washington University. While there, she met Bruce when her friend Ruth introduced him to her stating that Bruce wanted to learn how to dance. In a biography written by Regina Villiers, Elizabeth shared, “He never did learn to dance!”.
Moving to Cincinnati, Bruce had several careers while Elizabeth managed the household and was a savvy investor, subscribing to the Wall Street Journal into her 90s. So savvy, they’d accumulated enough money to pay cash for the home in 1948 which cost $19,400.
Loving her community and wishing to protect her beloved home, in 1998 she donated her house and grounds to the Madeira Historical Society. She remained in the home for several more years before moving to assisted living. In 2004, The Miller House Museum opened to the public and also became the home of the Madeira Historical Society. Elizabeth passed away on December 26, 2007 aged 100. Her legacy lives on within these walls.
Come see for yourself. The Miller House Museum is open to the public April through December on the 1st Saturday and 3rd Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. For more information about the Madeira Historical Society, visit http://www.madeirahistoricalsociety.org
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