Virginia Department of Historic Resources
(dhr.virginia.gov)
For Immediate Release
May 2026

Contact:
Ivy Tan Ager
Department of Historic Resources
Marketing & Communications Manager
ivy.ager@dhr.virginia.gov
804-482-6445

State Historical Marker Dedicated in Staunton for Queen Miller Home

—For more than 40 years, hundreds of Black children from across the Commonwealth and beyond were cared for and educated at the Queen Miller Home—

—Text of marker reproduced below—

PLEASE NOTE: DHR creates markers not to “honor” their subjects but rather to educate and inform the public about a person, place, or event of regional, state, or national importance. In this regard, erected markers are not memorials.

RICHMOND – The Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) has announced that a state historical marker approved by the Virginia Board of Historic Resources was dedicated in the City of Staunton highlighting the Queen Miller Home, an orphanage owned and operated by a Black couple in the early 20th century for Black children.

The marker dedication was held on Saturday, May 30, at the site of the marker, located at 2624 West Beverley Street in Staunton (24401). This event was free and open to members of the public.

A dedication program took place prior to the marker’s unveiling. Elaine Rose, president of Building Bridges for the Greater Good, a Staunton-based community advocacy organization that fosters unity, served as mistress of ceremonies. The dedication featured music by George Hunter, a co-founder of the Shenandoah Valley Juneteenth Organization, and a reading of an original poem by Sheila Ahmadi, also a co-founder of the Shenandoah Valley Juneteenth Organization. Among those who spoke at the program were Moonyene S. Jackson, Esq., founder of the Friends of Miller-Jackson Institute for Historic Preservation and Education, LLC, and a relative of the Millers, who established the Queen Miller Home; Laura Thurman of The Research Journey and a retired staff member of the Virginia Outdoors Foundation; Jennifer Loux, Ph.D., DHR’s historical highway marker program manager; Delegate Ellen H. McLaughlin of Virginia’s 36th District; Lena Bryan, special assistant to the Chief Diversity Officer for the Commonwealth of Virginia; Mwizenge Tembo, Ph.D., emeritus professor of sociology at Bridgewater College; Col. Melissa Patrick, military historian and retired U.S. Army officer; Rev. Silvia Brandon-Perez, J.D., of Hayward, California, who is a member of the Board of Directors of the Friends of Miller-Jackson Institute for Historic Preservation; Amira Seay of Waynesboro; Kayden Darcus of Staunton; Mrs. Doris Chandler of Mount Zion Baptist Church; Diana Stuart of New York City; Sue Lyons of Pennsylvania; and Bishop T. E. Payne of Oak Grove Baptist Church. Warner “Terry” Howard of Douglasville, Georgia, and Jacques L. Matthews, both relatives of the Millers, also spoke at the dedication.

Following the dedication’s conclusion, a reception and fellowship gathering took place at Mount Zion Baptist Church, located at 603 N. Augusta Street in Staunton. The founders of the Queen Miller Home and their children were members of Mount Zion Baptist Church, according to Rev. Tampa B. Stuart, pastor at the church.

William A. and Queen Elizabeth Miller, a Black couple, operated an orphanage for Black children on land that they bought in Staunton. Incorporated in 1910, the orphanage was popularly called the Queen Miller Home and was formally named the Hayes Memorial Industrial School and Orphan’s Home. For more than 40 years, the Millers cared for and educated hundreds of children from across the Commonwealth and beyond. To raise funds for the orphanage and its programs, Queen Miller, a certified teacher with seminary training, held frequent lectures across communities and, with her husband, sold surplus produce from the orphanage’s farm. The Queen Miller Home earned a statewide reputation as a refuge for the homeless. It survived a fire in 1927 but burned down in 1955.

The Virginia Board of Historic Resources, which is authorized to designate new state historical markers, approved the manufacture and installation of the Queen Miller Home historical marker in June 2025. The cost of the marker was covered by its sponsor, the Friends of Miller-Jackson Institute for Historic Preservation and Education, LLC.

Virginia’s historical highway marker program began in 1927 with installation of the first markers along U.S. Route 1. It is considered the oldest such program in the nation. Currently there are more than 2,600 state markers, mostly maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation, except in those localities outside of VDOT’s authority.

Full Text of Marker:

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.

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