Near Midway in Albemarle County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Miller School

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 2, 2009

1. Miller School Marker

Inscription. A bequest of Samuel Miller (1792–1869) provided funds to found the Miller School in 1878. Miller, a Lynchburg businessman born in poverty in Albemarle County, envisioned a regional school for children who could not afford an education. The school was a pioneer in combining the value of hands on labor with a liberal arts education. Coeducational from 1884 until 1928, then all male, the school became coeducational again in 1992. Built on property once owned by Miller, the principal building (“Old Main”) was designed by Albert Lybrock and D. Wiley Anderson in the High Victorian Gothic style. Miller School was listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register in 1973 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

Erected 2001 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number W-225.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Education. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1878.

Location. 38° 0.672′ N, 78° 42.105′ W. Marker is near Midway, Virginia, in Albemarle County. It is on Miller School Road (County Route 635) close to Dick Woods Road (County Route 637), on the

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left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1000 Samuel Miller Loop, Charlottesville VA 22903, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Piedmont

and in Central Virginia.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Staunton and James River Turnpike (approx. 1.6 miles away); The Rothwell Family ... / Elisha Wm. Robertson ... (approx. 2.7 miles away); Mirador (approx. 4 miles away); Crozet (approx. 4 miles away); “The Albemarle 26” (approx. 4.2 miles away); North Garden Church (approx. 4½ miles away); Jackson's Valley Campaign (approx. 4.7 miles away); a different marker also named Mirador (approx. 4.9 miles away).

Another marker is no longer nearby. Jackson’s Valley Campaign (was approx. 4.7 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Also see . . . Miller School of Albemarle. Website homepage:
“The Last Will and Testament of Samuel Miller provided for the majority of his estate to be used for the establishment of a boarding school for orphaned children, a school to be located very near his birthplace in Albemarle County. By 1874, following Mr. Miller’s 1869 death and the resolution of several legal disputes that arose as children of Mr. Miller’s sought to challenge his bequest,

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 2, 2009

2. Miller School Marker

Marker is at the main entrance to the school property on Miller School Road.

architects and builders were ready to begin work in designing and constructing The Miller Manual Labor School, as it was then known. This work culminated in August, 1878, with a grand opening and dedication of the central portion of ‘Old Main,’ an august and impressive structure around which much of Miller School life still revolves.” (Submitted on August 16, 2009.)

Old Main (1878) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Paul Crumlish, September 19, 2009

3. Old Main (1878)

Miller School Science Building image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Paul Crumlish, September 19, 2009

4. Miller School Science Building

Credits. This page was last revised on May 31, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 16, 2009, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 2,038 times since then and 62 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 16, 2009, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 3, 4. submitted on September 19, 2009, by PaulwC3 of Northern, Virginia.