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745 LELAND
<br />HISTORICAL CONTEXT
<br />On July 28, 1889, Annie P. Shetterly Miller and her husband, Ryell T. Miller, purchased PN.
<br />Of B.O.L. 111 from Annie's father, Christian Shetterly, for $5,300. With this property, the
<br />Millers laid out and platted Shetterly Place Additions 1 and 2. The Alley house at 745 Leland
<br />sits on lots 46, 47, and 48 of Shetterly Place Second Addition, and the Millers lived there until
<br />their deaths in 1923 and 1924.
<br />Mr. Miller was an extraordinary man, and a leader in South Bend's early days. He was born
<br />on a farm near South Bend March 1, 1853, to Daniel and Mary Miller, attended district schools
<br />and South Bend High School, and tried out work as a florist and as a showman, before
<br />undertaking the study of dentistry in 1873, in the office of D. E. Cummings, also of this area.
<br />He qualified as a dentist in 1874, and moved to Iowa. He returned to South Bend, and practiced
<br />dentistry on South Michigan Street.
<br />When his eyesight and his general health began to fail, he undertook the study of law, and
<br />simultaneously put together a historical exposition representing phases of prehistoric history
<br />and of Indian life, and traveled exhibiting it for several years.
<br />In 1895, he received his law degree from Notre Dame, and he was a practicing member of
<br />the St. Joseph County Bar Association for the next 29 years. He was also a successful realtor, as
<br />Shetterly Place became one of the leading residential sections of the city.
<br />He was also the owner of Miller Sash and Screen Factory in South Bend. He became a
<br />member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in 1882, began to all branches of that
<br />fraternity, and held the rank of lieutenant colonel, retired, in the Patriarch Militant branch of the
<br />Odd Fellows.
<br />Ryell and Annie Miller had two sons, Leland Miller and Rex Miller, and an adopted
<br />daughter Betty (Mrs. Victor Paxson).. Leland Avenue and Rex Street are named for the sons.
<br />Leland Rex Miller is a grandson of Dr. Miller, and the father of the present owner, Mrs. Lynn
<br />Gorsky.
<br />The house was mostly used as a rental, and its ownership is unclear, until Ray Larimer
<br />purchased it from J. Clifford Potts on March 21, 1951, for $8,750. At some point in the 1950s it
<br />was converted into a duplex, and then converted back into single-family use before 1980. Ray
<br />Larimer sold the house to Deborah Ann Bass on July 15, 1974, and she sold it to Mrs. Gorsky in
<br />August or September of 1997.
<br />ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION
<br />This is a two and a half story Queen Ann style house. The floor plan is essentially
<br />rectangular, with large porches extending front and back. The narrow wooden clapboard siding,
<br />fish scale shingles in the gables, and decorative trim have all been beautifully restored.
<br />Similarly the porches, the box returns on the gables, and the dormer pediment are once again
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