Miller's Farmstead

In 1823, John Miller built his hotel and tavern at the intersection of the Pike and Spickler Roads in the town of Spickler. It was one of the first stagecoach stops on the new National Pike when it was built. "There were large rooms adapted for dancing purposes, and young men and maidens from the neighborhood frequently tripped to the notes of the old time music in its spacious halls," wrote T.B. Searight of this well-known spot in 1894. The waltz was unheard of, and the figures ranged from the 'hoe down' to the cotillion, with the 'Virginia Reel' serving as the closing number. It was almost unavoidable that the old waggoneers were invited to participate in these festivities, and they did so with a fervor that could not be matched by the young men and women from the surrounding Clear Spring neighborhood." In 1864, the Miller's Farmstead site was the site of a Civil War skirmish that took place nearby. Confederate General John McCausland was planning a march from Clear Spring to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and he happened to pass through Mercersburg. Confederate Major Harry Gilmor led 200 men on a diversionary route along the National Road, giving the impression that the main strike was to be directed at Hagerstown, which was not the case. Gilmor was caught in an ambush by the Union army near Spickler's Hill, near Miller's Farmstead, and was forced to flee. It is still possible to see the bullet holes and cannon ball marks on the east wall of what was once Miller's Tavern, which was destroyed during the battle.