DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll give it to you straight with a little flourish on the side. Around the turn of the twentieth century, a man named Ezekial Miller came to Texas. He had Scotch-Irish blood running through him, and he didn't waste any time making something of himself.
He started a timber business, and by all accounts it was a successful one. That kind of foothold has a way of opening doors, and Ezekial walked through every one of them. Before long he was known as a prominent merchant and civic leader in Houston.
The man had arrived, in every sense of the word. Now, when a man reaches that kind of standing, he wants his family to feel it too. So in 1905, Ezekial had a residence built — built for his wife, Mary Jane, and their five children.
Five. That's a house that needed to have some presence to it, and this one delivered. The builders blended Queen Anne and colonial revival styles together, which was something Houston builders were doing in the early twentieth century, and the result was a home that knows exactly what it is.
You notice the corner tower first — it has that quality of saying 'we are here' without saying a word. Then your eye finds the dormer window, and the whole composition settles into something that feels both grand and lived-in. A family home, yes, but one built to last and to be noticed.
Ezekial Miller came to Texas around 1900 with timber on his mind and ambition in his chest, and by 1905 he'd put all of it into four walls and a corner tower for Mary Jane and those five kids. That house is still telling the story.
What the marker says
Came to Texas about 1900 and began a successful timber business. Of Scotch-Irish descent, Miller became known as a prominent merchant and civic leader in Houston. He had this residence built in 1905 for his wife, Mary Jane, and their five children. The home is a significant example of the blending of Queen Anne and colonial revival styles by early 20th-century Houston builders. Prominent features include its corner tower and dormer window. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1984