The Miles Ranch Mansion House

he first house on the Miles Ranch was a crude one. However, in 1867, a new, 2 story home was built for the Miles family. The architecture of the residence followed the Anglo-American Mid-Atlantic I-house tradition. The detailed woodwork, both inside and out, and the use of symmetry in the design of the home showed the heavy influence of the Greek Revival style. The Miles mansion house, like the barn, was built with hand-hewn walnut beams, wooden pegs, and native stones. All the woodwork in the house was made from hardwood, harvested on the Ranch. The rest of the building material, such as windows, doors, and shingles, were brought from St. Louis by steamboat to Rulo. Then, the material was loaded onto wagons and driven to the Ranch. Once the house was completed, it was furnished with such fineries as a piano and pieces of art.

In December, 2012, the Miles Ranch mansion house was listed in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior. The Nebraska State Historical Society described the home as a “superlative example of a rare property.” Coupled with the barn, the property is considered one of a kind in the state of Nebraska. No other properties possess a rural residence, built in the 1860s, with an even older barn of the type and integrity of the barn located on the Miles Ranch.

By Paulo Bruxellas 2013