MG 137 - Miller, Evan J. Collection

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Scope and Content

Consists of four research papers by Miller. These include: "Behind the Iron Furnace Curtains of Dauphin County," 1966; "Stephen Hills, Architect and Builder, 1785-1844 and The Pennsylvania Capitol, 1822-1897," 1981; "Historic Monuments and Sculptures in Dauphin County," undated; and "Pennsylvania Capitols," 1993. Collection also includes business correspondence of Miller Brothers & Company Real Estate & Insurance, 1923-25, 1927; local history memorabilia and photographs including New York Herald newspaper of 1863 with a report of the advance of Rebel troops into Harrisburg, the flood of 1972; publications about Bellevue Park and Cottage Ridge, communities planned and marketed by Herman P. Miller; several Miller Bros. & Co. Realtor maps of Harrisburg, 1950-1956; an advertisement poster celebrating 65 years in business, 1968; and miscellaneous material including two stock certificates for the Harrisburg and Middletown Turnpike, 1818 and a "Genealogy of Descendants of Robert Hills," compiled by Thomas Hills, which documents the fire in the old capitol building in 1897.

Includes scrapbooks compiled by Evan J. Miller with photographs and historical notes. They include: "Pennsylvania Capitals," "Historical Society Memoirs, 1929-1989," "Bellevue Park, 1910-1925 (includes DVD w/photos)," "Mister President Comes to Harrisburg," and "Wildflower Portraits."

Also includes several bound texts. They include, "Old Tales of Harrisburg," and "Early Buildings in Dauphin County," which provides historical notes of the houses along Front Street and other areas of Harrisburg; and three volumes of "Facts & Fotos."

Background

Evan J. Miller born in 1897 in Harrisburg was a local businessman turned historian. He was past president of the Historical Society of Dauphin County for two terms (1939-1940 and 1965-1966). His father Herman P. Miller was a real estate developer who with his neighbor, J. Horace McFarland, created and marketed Harrisburg's first planned neighborhood, Bellevue Park, in 1910. Seventy-five years later, his son Evan wrote a 42-page volume entitled "Bellevue Park, 1910-1985." He has published several other texts including "Old Tales of Harrisburg" and "Early Buildings in Dauphin County."

Date(s): 1897-1993

Extent: 1 carton, 1 box, 22 folders, 63 enclosures