James Vester Miller[1858-1940]James Vester Miller was born April 21, 1858 in Rutherforton, N.C. He came to Asheville as a young man, with practically no formal training but with a firm understanding of what he wanted to do in life, and how he would do it. J. V. Miller worked for some of the best contractors in Asheville, before starting his own company which was Miller and Sons Construction Co. The company earned a real name for itself. The company was given credit for having the best brick masons in the city. The Miller Construction Company specialized in the building of churches and commercial buildings. Most of the buildings and churches built by the company are still being used today and are in very good condition. Some of the buildings on Patton Ave. and College Streets were built by the Miller Co. especially those that were at one time owned by the Tench Coxe family and the Millard family. The churches the Millers built speak for themselves and their builder. These churches are Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Hopkins Chapel, St. Matthias Episcopal Church, and a number of smaller churches and business buildings. Two of the business buildings deserve special mention. These buildings are the fire and police departments and the post office building on Otis Street. These two buildings are visited by hundreds of people every day. J. V. Miller served his community and its people well. He was very active in civic and political affairs of the city of Asheville. J. V. will always be remembered as one of Asheville's great leaders. James Vester Miller[1858-1940]
|