Miller, Henry W., House
Why it's listed
Built between 1847 and 1850 for Galena flour merchant Henry W. Miller, this red Galena brick I-house served as a country estate west of the city. It is two stories with a side-gable roof, a rear wing, limestone lintels and sills, and a Greek Revival entrance with sidelights, transom, pilasters and dentils. A later owner, Richard Barrett, added an Italianate bay window around 1873. To make way for a new hospital, the barns were demolished and the house was moved to a one-acre corner of its original eighty-acre property, where it now faces West Norris Lane over a rural landscape. Inside, the original woodwork, stairway with walnut balusters, mantels and two ornamental plaster ceiling medallions survive, and restoration has focused on the years 1847 to 1873. The house is valued for its architecture and for showing how Galena's merchants used country properties as the economy moved from mining toward agriculture.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is significant under architecture as a well-preserved example of a vernacular Greek Revival I-house with later Italianate additions. It also illustrates the link between Galena's commercial center and the surrounding country estates as the local economy shifted from mining to agriculture. Original interior woodwork, plaster ceiling medallions and documentation of its early owners support this significance.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 10000836, listed October 13, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 11672 W Norris Ln, Galena |
|---|---|
| County | Jo Daviess County |
| Listed | October 13, 2010 |
| Reference number | 10000836 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1847 (construction date); c.1873 (Italianate detailing/alterations) |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival; Other: I-house |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Moved to a new foundation on a one-acre parcel and restored; current function is listed as commerce/trade/business, with the house now having a usable basement. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 42.44882, -90.46024 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 10000836.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q24435820
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.