The work is finally finished, and Roan Mountain State Park’s historic Miller Farmstead has reopened.
In August, contractors started preservation work to replace the foundation under the house at the Farmstead.
“The house itself was built in 1907,” said Roan Mountain State Park manager J.R. Tinch. “The foundation was just crumbling. A century ago they just used whatever they could to make mortar and make a foundation. So a hundred years later, the foundation had crumbled to the point that the house was off balance, and it was sinking into the ground at one point. If we had not fixed the foundation, then the house would have started deteriorating and could have even fallen.”
To replace the foundation, workers had to lift the house eight feet into the air so new concrete footers could be poured. Any wood that had rotted was replaced.
“The house is going to last for generations to come now,” Tinch said.
Funding for the project came from a grant by the Tennessee Historic Commission.
The house itself is not actually opened to the public because family heirlooms are kept inside. However, the ground around house are open to the public, Tinch said.
In 2014, the Miller Farmstead, which is located at the highest point in the state park, was added to both the State Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places.
“It is really one of the most popular locations inside the state park,” Tinch said. “The Miller Farmstead is truly one of representations Appalachian culture. We really wanted to the project done and Farmstead opened back up because October is one of our busiest times of the year.”