Allen and Clarissa Miller had this house built shortly after purchasing the double lot in 1855 for $650. They lived there with their three young children, along with Clarissa's brother, James Keys, and his wife. At the time, Allen Miller was a prosperous leather dealer as well as a dealer in stoves and tinware, and James Keys was a Deputy United States Marshal. When the house was built, it had a two-story section facing Eighth Street and a one-story kitchen wing with a south-facing full-length porch off the back, while the appearance of the front porch has not yet been determined. The Miller family moved out in 1864 and sold the house to James Keys for $3,500, and Keys sold it less than a month later for $3,800. The National Park Service acquired the house in 1978, and funding has been requested to completely restore the exterior to its 1860s appearance while the interior will be used as office space.
