M. A. MILLER'S SKETCHBOOK OF 1860
                    CORINTH: THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
                       OF A MISSISSIPPI BOOMTOWN

CHAPTER VIII - CONCLUSION

        M. A. Miller's sketchbook is indeed a treasure. Its value
extends far beyond the recording of the appearance of Corinth,
Mississippi, in 1860. This sketchbook is valuable in all aspects of
Southern history. It indicates many areas for future research, not
only for Corinth, but for the entire South. For Corinth, in
particular, extensive deed research needs to be done in order to
determine how the residents made their living.  Deed research would
show if the occupants of the town residences, sketched by Miller, had
extensive land holdings and were thus engaged in agricultural
pursuits. It has been assumed that many of the merchants lived above
their stores. Further research should answer this question as well.

        Miller's sketchbook, because of its democratic coverage of
Corinth, shows the homes of the wealthy as well as the homes of the
middle class. The middle class in the antebellum South has not been
very well researched. Miller's sketchbook could prove very valuable in
determining how this class of Southern society lived.

        Miller's sketch of the sawmill brings up another topic in need
of research. The lumber industry in Mississippi experienced great
growth and prosperity after the Civil War and Reconstruction, but
relatively little is known about it as it existed in the antebellum
South. Miller's detailed sketches of the Corinth sawmill could prove
very valuable as a starting point for research in this field.

        An aspect of Miller's sketchbook that should prove valuable
for architectural historians is Miller's color notations. Many of
antebellum Corinth's buildings were painted pink or had pink trim or
shutters. Yellow doors were also very common. Most of the knowledge
about mid-nineteenth century paint colors comes from A. J. Downing.
Downing suggested such colors as drab, brown and grey as appropriate
for domestic architecture.  He did not suggest colors such as pink and
yellow.  Based on this sketchbook, perhaps Downing was not as great an
influence in the South as he has been believed to be.

        A popular belief about Southern domestic architecture is that
the vast majority of the houses were built in some classical style.
Miller's sketchbook challenges this theory. Approximately one third of
the houses sketched by Miller showed some Gothic Revival influence.
Since none of these Gothic Revival Cottages remain today, one is led
to believe that they were consciously obliterated by later generations
who preferred classic purity.

        Miller's 1860 sketchbook preserved not only Corinth,
Mississippi, but in a sense the entire South.  Miller's sketchbook may
provide the key for understanding many aspects of the antebellum South
that scholars have struggled with for years. This sketchbook also
brings up many questions not ever considered before. It is a rare and
valuable document worthy of much future research.