Description of Historic Place

The Miller House is situated at 125 Pleasant Street in the City of Miramichi. Built in 1904 in the Queen Anne architecture style, this building was home to the prominent Miller and Creaghan families.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Miller House lies in the expression of the grand Queen Anne style architecture and the building’s location within a grouping of prominent period homes. Miller House is also significant for its association with two prominent Newcastle families.

The Miller House is a prime example of Queen Anne architecture from the turn of the 20th century in the Miramichi area. This style is evident in the use of two prominent towers on the front façade, the veranda spanning the entire ground floor and the use of horizontal elements to break up the surface of the façades.

The house was built for John W. Miller, son and grandson of John C. and James Miller of J&J Miller Tanning & Extract Co. The family patent for the extraction of tannin from hemlock bark to tan leather led the Millers to relocate to the Miramichi due to the regions hemlock timber stands. The family business grew to build a compliment of extract plants in the U.S.A., Turkey and Hungary. Miller led a joint venture in 1912 under the name of the Millerton Extract Co. in the Miramichi community of Millerton, named after him.

In 1918, local merchant John Daniel Creaghan's wife, Ellen, purchased the home and it stayed within the family for three generations. John Creaghan’s business ventures included a chain of family operated stores in New Brunswick. He was director and vice president of the Miramichi Steam Navigation Co. In public life he was a member of Newcastle's first Town Council, a founding director of the Miramichi Agricultural Exhibition Association and County chairman of wartime victory bond campaigns. Donald S. Creaghan, John Daniel's son, maintained the Newcastle home and raised his family there. He served as Mayor of Newcaslte and Vice-Consul to Norway and Sweden. Donald's son John D. lived his entire life in the home and managed the family operations and local stores in Miramichi for several decades.

Source: City of Miramichi, Heritage Office Site File# 04-10.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements related to the context include:
- its location within a grouping of prominent period homes.

The character-defining elements of this house as an expression of Queen Anne Style include:
- building form and massing of Queen Anne style residence;
- clad in clapboards with 1/1 period windows;
- northern square tower on front elevation with pyramidal bell cast roof and copper finial atop;
- southern circular tower accented with patterned fish scale siding and original curved glass windows on front elevation with conical bell cast roof and copper finial atop;
- two storey central frontispiece with square dormer centered above to include fan shaped ornamental pediment;
- veranda spanning the first floor with panels on posts and pediment over entrance;
- oval stained glass windows in vestibule;
- dentils and brackets;
- wing on west side rear elevation.