“… To preserve the heritage of the region through storytelling … our visitors experience the words and wisdom of the settlers who came here almost 200 years ago.” 
Spruce Forest serves a unique purpose in the Allegheny region.
Here in the heart of what was known as Little Crossings in the time of General Braddock, artists have developed designs, genres, and even media specific to this area. Spruce Forest is a venue not only where artists showcase and sell their work, but also where visitors have the chance to interact with artisans inside their studios. Six resident artists and many visiting artists share their stories, technical advice, and creative processes with our audience of 60,000 each year. The artisan program is part of the Village’s larger mission to preserve the heritage of the region. Through a storytelling program in the Miller House Peace Center, our visitors experience the words and wisdom of the settlers who came here almost 200 years ago. The Amish and Mennonite communities lived peacefully with Native Americans and other settlers, developing the strong Appalachian farming tradition.
Our visitors may also experience the agricultural foundations of Little Crossings and the whole region at Stanton's Mill. Built in 1797, the Mill was modernized over the years and functioned until the mid 1990s. Recently restored, Stanton's Mill now operates much as it did in the 1800s, during the height of National Road commerce.
Building Provenance | The Miller House was built by Benedict Miller, Amish Bishop, and his son Joel B., in 1835 near what is now Springs, PA. the Miller House and moved to this campus in 1986, then restored in 1987 as an Anabaptist Peace Center. Hosted by volunteers from across the United States, June-October, this home, furnished with Miller family treasures, provides a context for the accounts of Benedict’s benevolence, as well as the story of the spiritual and social foundations of this mountain community, once known as Brothers’ Valley. The Amish way of peace allowed the early white settlers to build communities along side the Shawnee and other Indian nations.
Evidence indicates that Miller house served a triple purpose: a home, a place of worship, and the first school in the area. Always open to the needy and to the traveler, Benedict Miller’s homestead stood for charity, good works, and strong faith.
Miller House is one of the finest examples of early craftsmanship in the area. A close look reveals carved beading and joinery common to the finely crafted log homes of the mid 19th century.
The Miller House is open during Village hours and dossiers are always needed to host the Miller house and inquiries can be directed to the village office. Contact us for details.
The Miller House Peace Center
“Accomplish the impossible and you will blaze a trail for others to follow”. – Jen McDonough
Compton One-Room Schoolhouse
The National Road played a large role in westward expansion and economic development of the region.
Little Crossings still boasts an original inn dating back to 1818 – now Penn Alps Restaurant, the historic Casselman Bridge, and thirteen restored cabins, including Compton's One-Room School, where school children today can experience life in a schoolhouse of yesterday. The school was donated by Cora Broadwater and the restoration was made possible by a loan from Maryland Historical Trust. The Village is located along the National Road.
Building Provenance | The school was donated by Cora Broadwater and the restoration was made possible by a loan from Maryland Historical Trust.
This is the last and only log school house in Western Maryland to be preserved and on display. Esther Yoder, who was the general manager at Spruce Forest at the time the school was brought here, was largely responsible for outfitting the school with furniture, books and supplies depicting the history of schools in the Casselman Valley. The building was built and used as a school, was occupied for a time as a dwelling, and again as a school, and finally as a blacksmith shop and then a car garage in the years before it was completely abandoned and left in a state of near-collapse.
Compton School was likely built by Robert Compton whose family came to this area from New Jersey after the Revolutionary War. As a child Compton had been an errand boy for George Washington. After his father died, Compton left Washington's service, but continued to correspond with the general and president. George Washington, having served in the Alleghenies during the French and Indian War, may have encouraged the Comptons to move to Western Maryland.
The Compton School House is open during Village hours. Dossiers are needed to host the school house and inquiries can be directed to the village office. Contact us for more information.
