From The Archives

The Carter-Miller House & Farm

The Carter-Miller house is a beautifully restored Federal farmhouse, built in 1834 by William Carter. Listed on the National Register of Historic places, and under the protective covenants of preservation North Carolina, the house is most noted for the beautiful early faux paint finishes on the mantels, stairways and doors, as well as its architecture.

The house sits on a rock bluff in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, overlooking an organic vineyard and fertile bottomland above Paul’s Creek. A historical blacksmith’s workshop, complete with old leather bellows and a rock forge, a cabin constructed of old tobacco barns, a large animal barn, and a chicken house complete the outbuildings on the farm.

In early 2007, two major additions to the house were completed after years of planning and construction. A two-story ell of old salvaged hand-cut Mount Airy granite was added to the rear of the house in the style of a 1920’s farmhouse addition. Interior doors, cabinets, built-ins, and salvaged heart of pine flooring give the new addition an “old” house feeling. A carriage house adjoins the ell to one side, with cypress lap siding, heavy Dutch doors, brick floors, vaulted ceilings and old barn lights in each room, giving a more rustic feeling to the office, guest suite, craft room and mud room contained there.

The original house has 16-inch brick walls with heavy restored plaster inside. The attic room is finished as an extra family/sleepover room. The floors are gorgeous wide old pine. There is a beautiful fireplace in each of the 5 rooms on the first and second floors. The roof of the original house and the ell is covered with heavy Western Cedar shakes, with copper flashing and snow breaks. The addition is built with a base of 6-inch wall components filled solid with insulation. The granite provides another 8-10” on the 2-story ell. The new additions are heated solely by hydronic heating piped through each floor. The basement is heated in the same way, and there is a snow melt system embedded in the driveway. The whole house is protected by a commercial quality fire sprinkler system and is wired for security and sound. The garage contains space for three vehicles and a work area. There is an extra bath with shower, and additional washer /dryer and sinks in the basement. There is also a mechanical room, a large root cellar, and a wine cellar.

The kitchen contains a wonderful mix of old brick, salvaged heart of pine, Mount Airy granite, antique swinging pantry doors, and beautiful cabinetry crafted by a local cabinetmaker in the 1920’s style. The centerpiece of the kitchen is a 4-oven AGA cast iron cooker. A large Pro-series Sub-Zero refrigerator, and a Bosch dishwasher hidden in the large island make it a pleasure to be in the kitchen. A full Butler’s Pantry and keeping room complete with a granite bread making station, a 6 foot long cast iron antique farm sink, and two Fisher & Paykel dish drawers is adjacent the kitchen.

The adjoining family room is centered by a large granite and soapstone fireplace, which also contains a domed “beehive” bread oven and a large space for wood storage. Just outside the kitchen doors is a granite and brick porch covered with a copper standing seam roof, with an outdoor granite fireplace, which overlooks the vineyard, the creek and the cabin.

The house has four bedrooms and one guest suite. The office could be converted to a bedroom to bring the total bedrooms in the house to six. There are 3 ½ baths, excluding the basement full bath. The guest cabin has a loft bedroom above a beautiful living space and was featured in a Log Cabin Design magazine in 2006. It is a beautiful guesthouse or retreat for family. The farm is not certified organic, but has used only organic methods for eight years.

The Carter-Miller house is located just 4 miles from historic Mount Airy, a charming and friendly town best known as the “Mayberry” of the Andy Griffith Show. The region is becoming reestablished as a winemaking area, and the farm lies within the Yadkin Valley appellation. Mount Airy is a 40-minute drive north of the city of Winston-Salem, and about 55 minutes northwest of Greensboro.