Queen Miller Home

William A. and Queen Elizabeth Miller, an African American couple, operated an orphanage for Black children on land they purchased here. Incorporated in 1910 and later named the Hayes Memorial Industrial School and Orphan’s Home, it was popularly known as the Queen Miller Home. The Millers nurtured and educated hundreds of children from across Virginia and beyond for more than 40 years. Queen Miller, a certified teacher with seminary training, lectured widely to raise funds, which were supplemented by sales of surplus produce from the orphanage’s farm. The Queen Miller Home, which earned a statewide reputation as a refuge for the homeless, survived a fire in 1927 but burned down in 1955.