The Miller School’s complex of High Victorian Gothic buildings was provided through the will of Samuel Miller (1792-1869) to serve the children of Albemarle County’s poor. Miller, a county native, was born into poverty and made a fortune in the tobacco and grocery business in Lynchburg. The school, developed on one of Miller’s farms, pioneered in industrial education, emphasizing both manual labor and classic liberal education. The school’s architectural focal point, Old Main (pictured above), was begun in 1874. Its designers were Albert Lybrock and D. Wiley Anderson of Richmond, who created a grand statement in the weighty, richly ornamented Gothic style popularized by the English critic John Ruskin. It, and the Arts Building and superintendent’s house, were erected under the supervision of C. E. Vawter, the school’s first superintendent. Still a viable educational institution, Miller School of Albemarle continues to stress craft education and academics.