Lochland (Former home of Elizabeth Smith Miller and Anne Fitzhugh Miller)

Between 1869 and 1912, Lochland was the home of Elizabeth Smith Miller and her daughter, Anne Fitzhugh Miller. The Millers were active reformers for women’s rights and education. They organized both conventions of the New York State Woman Suffrage Association held in Geneva and founded the Geneva Political Equality Club. 

Gerrit Smith purchased the mansion in 1865 for his son Greene after Greene returned from the Civil War. Smith served in the 14^th New York Heavy Artillery in 1864 and was wounded at Weldon Railroad during the Siege of Petersburg. Greene Smith named the property Lochland, Scottish for “savoring the beauties of nature,” but abandoned the house in 1868 due to worsening health. Gerrit Smith then transferred the estate to Elizabeth Miller and the Millers settled at Lochland in 1869.

Elizabeth Smith Miller was born in 1822 to abolitionists Gerrit and Ann Carroll Fitzhugh Smith. Miller was introduced to abolition and social reform very early in life and was highly educated. Her cousin, Elizabeth Cady [Stanton] visited the Smith family frequently during the girls’ childhood at their house in Peterboro. Elizabeth Smith married Charles Dudley Miller in 1843 and the couple had four children, their only daughter being Ann Fitzhugh Miller.

Elizabeth Smith Miller designed the outfit that was later known as the Bloomer costume popularized by Amelia Bloomer. Miller put together her outfit, that she described as “Turkish trousers to the ankle with a skirt reaching some four inches below the knee,” to work in her garden. The ensemble became popular in the 1850s after Miller wore it on a visit to Elizabeth Cady Stanton in Seneca Falls and Stanton started wearing it. Angela Bloomer then also adopted the dress and published about it in the temperance journal, the Lily.

Elizabeth Smith Miller was an advocate for women’s rights as early as 1850, but was particularly central to the suffrage movement in Geneva. After the death of Charles Miller in 1897, Elizabeth Smith Miller and Anne Fitzhugh Miller became a dynamic team in the suffrage movement. Both women were instrumental in organizing the 1897 and 1907 annual conventions of the New York State Woman Suffrage Association (NYSWSA) held in Geneva. Smith Miller always kept Lochland open to host suffragists and reformers and supported women’s rights and education financially. She donated considerable funds to establish William Smith College.

After helping coordinate the 1897 NYSWSA convention Anne F. Miller organized the Geneva Political Equality Club on November 30, 1897. The GPEC was open to both men and women who would meet to discuss women’s rights and other political questions, as well as hold events, fundraisers, and speakers. Elizabeth Smith Miller was considered the honorary president of the club and many GPEC events occurred at Lochland, in addition to many suffragist activists and speakers staying as guests with the Millers. Anne Miller accepted the presidency of the GPEC in 1899 after trying to convince others to take on that role. The Geneva Political Equality Club was one of the most successful such organizations in the state. Both Elizabeth Smith Miller and Anne F. Miller were active in local, state, and national movements for women’s rights.

The Miller women retreated from suffrage work in 1910 as Elizabeth Miller’s health worsened. Elizabeth Smith Miller died in May 1911 and Ann F. Miller quickly returned to her work in the suffrage movement. Early the next year Miller traveled to New York and Boston, and she died March 1, 1912 in Boston.

From 1912 to 1933 Lochland was owned by Edward M. Mills, a mining executive. In 1933 the property transferred to the Lochland School, originally a school for disabled children and now a residence for adults with developmental disabilities. 

“Anne Fitzhugh Miller.” Western New York Suffragists: Winning the Vote. Accessed November 23, 2021. https://rrlc.org/winningthevote/biographies/anne-fitzhugh-miller/.

“Greene Smith.” Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark. Accessed November 23, 2021. https://www.gerritsmith.org/origins/greene-smith.

“Elizabeth Smith Miller.” West New York Suffragists: Winning the Vote. Accessed November 22, 2021. https://rrlc.org/winningthevote/biographies/elizabeth-smith-miller/.

“Elizabeth Smith Miller.” Women’s Rights National Historical Park. National Park Service. February 26, 2015. Accessed November 22, 2021. https://www.nps.gov/wori/learn/historyculture/elizabeth-smith-miller.htm.

“Lochland.” Freethought Trail. Accessed November 23, 2021. https://freethought-trail.org/trail-map/location:lochland/.

“Suffrage—Geneva.” Ontario County Historical Society. Accessed November 23, 2021. https://www.ochs.org/suffrage-geneva/.