If you give a widow a house, she’ll roll it off into the country…
History is full of odd little stories like this one. Most of them will remain hidden in the past but every now and then, one of them is discovered, dusted off, and brought into the light of the present day to be admired once more.
So let’s dig in and hear all about how Annie Miller refused to give up when her home was threatened. She outsmarted the town government and kept the mansion her husband had built for her before he died.
Here we go – Moving the Millers’ Minnie Moore Mine Mansion: A True Story
Henry Miller House
On its own, the Henry Miller House in Bellevue, Idaho, is an excellent example of Stick/Eastlake architecture.
But… there’s an interesting story about the house’s history.
How Jeff Eggers Discovered the Story of the Miller’s Minnie Moore Mine Mansion Move
Dave Eggers spoke to the Atlas Obscura podcast about how he came across the story of the Minnie Moore Mine House and the slowest house move.
It turns out Idaho is more than just potatoes…
Here’s the basic plot of the story… Man buys mine and gets rich. Falls in love and gets married. Sends wife to tour Europe while he builds a fancy mansion for them to live in. Man dies. Nefarious banker swindles widow out of her money. Widow raises pigs to support herself and her son. Town passes law against raising livestock in town. Widow needs to move but doesn’t want to leave her house. So she moves her house to the country where she lived a good long life and where the house still stands today.
The cherry on top… Annie and her son lived inside the house the whole time it was rolled 4 miles down the road!
The house was moved at a pace of about two football fields per day over the course of a month.
Can you imagine living in your house while it slowly rolls through town and out into the country?!
Why I Love this Story
Reason #1
This details of this obscure story are not readily available online. Someone had to discover the basics of the story, do in-person research in dusty archives, and then present it in a fun format for the rest of us to enjoy! Imagine if the author hadn’t been inspired to dig deep and share with the world.
Reason #2
One of the reasons I like picture books is because I enjoy the art created by the illustrator. The pictures bring fun and interest to the story and there are so many creative artists out there. Check out the slinky book and the thesaurus book as just a couple of examples of creative illustrating artists.
Reason #3
Dave’s motives for writing the book are interesting. He wants to inspire future pig farmers. (I admit – I did not see that coming!) He also wants kids today to know how limited the technology was at the time and to appreciate the ingenuity of people by showing how much can be done with almost nothing. So, a fun story and a good lesson all in one.
Reason #4
It’s just fun.
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