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John and Laura Miller built this simple center passage house on this 500-acre site prior to 1870. They had come to Texas from Alabama several years earlier with John's parents, Samuel and Martha Miller, who established a 7,000-acre plantation in the area. John died in 1872, and Laura continued to live in the home until 1900. The Miller family grew in prominence in the area. Laura's niece, Frankie Miller, gave a portion of the land surrounding Samuel and Martha Miller's original plantation house for a new town site when the railroad was built in 1900. The new town was named Frankston in her honor. Laura Miller moved to Athens to live with her daughter, Sallie Jack Murchison, in 1900. She leased her house to Homer Garrison, Sr., and his wife Mattie Milam Garrison. Their oldest son, Homer Garrison, Jr., was born in the Miller House in 1901. He joined the Texas Highway Patrol when it was organized in 1930, and became director of the Department of Public Safety (DPS) and colonel of the Texas Rangers in 1938. During a distinguished 38-year career with the DPS, Garrison developed major programs including law enforcement training and communications, crime prevention, traffic safety and education. Honored for his outstanding contributions to the state of Texas, Homer Garrison, Jr., was buried at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin upon his death in 1968. The Miller House displays Greek Revival elements in its symmetrical facade and full-width porch graced by classically inspired box columns. Witness to generations of Anderson County history, the house and many of its original features evolved from the antebellum era to meet the needs of its occupants. (1999) |
