Mills Boarding House

George Mills Boarding House near Highland Lake. Photo courtesy of Kathy T.

Around 1850 Alexander and Margaret Gillies Mills built their home on Highland Lake, north of the lake’s “little finger.” The home was added on to and at some point became a boarding house.

(The Mills children—Martha Myers, Margaret Boyd, Mary Wait, George Mills, and Christina Wilson who died in 1895—all play a part in the story.)

In 1900 (the year Alexander died) George and Elizabeth Gillespie Mills ran the boarding house. George Mills was also a farmer.

George and Elizabeth Mills’ children in 1900: Belle, James G., Agnes, and baby Alexander.

Little Alexander would one day be the proprietor of the Spring House in Barryville. The Spring House was originally owned by George Layman. It belonged to Chris and Meta Meyer by 1910. Alexander Mills would marry their daughter Minnie Meyer.

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4 Responses to Mills Boarding House

  1. Bob Rasmussen says:

    My Mom was Margaret Mills and we built a “cabin” in the late ’50’s on the North Bay.

  2. Scott Cronin says:

    We had a place four houses further up the road. My grandfather George Baitinger bought the property from the Mills family.

    It was purchased in the early 30’s. My grandfather and uncles built the house. From 1961 till 1977 we went up there every summer from the city.

    The boarding house was abandoned at that point, still standing and creepy. Agnes Mills was still alive. I would go and visit her with the cats. We sold the house after my grandmother got sick in 1977

  3. Mercedes OConnor says:

    My grandfather was George R. Mills Jr. We vacationed there when I was younger. Loved it there. I was born in 1993 [1939?]. So happy so many generations got happy memories from this place.

  4. Craig Nilsen says:

    Fondest memories of my childhood was the time every summer that we stayed at the Mills House.

    Loved the room that had the fireplace and where we played the games. Dining room and hearing the bell to let all know that it was time to dine. Walking with my dad along the road in the early AM to catch newts walking on that path to get to the lake.

    I remember Ross Mills clearing a path in the field across the road where there used to be cows grazing (loved the barn when it was active), to shorten the walk to the lake. He made sort of a 45 degree angle path from across the street so that you didn’t have to walk down the hill along the road to access the path.

    Watching the deer come out in the rear from the tree line. Catching garter snakes and stumbling across an occasional copperhead (didn’t try to catch them).

    Going down to Weber’s for soda and whatever. Bats flying thru the top floor of the House. The white row boats with red trim.

    Going to Eldred in that General Store to get the newpapers to see the baseball scores. Dad got the Daily News or the Daily Mirror (they reported late games better than News did).

    The sounds that the cars made when they drove up to the house on the gravel driveway. Front porch rocking chairs. Getting stung by a wasp as I was trying to catch this big bull frog and Mrs. Mills treating me.

    Had a crush on Robin Mills (I was all of 11).

    The more I remember the fonder it is. God Bless all of that and everyone that was there; thanks for awesome memories.

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