This house is furnished to represent the home of Dr. William J. Miller, who practiced medicine near Wilton Junction in the early 1900's.

It was hard work being a country doctor in this time. Patients arrived on your doorstep at all hours of the day and night, and many doctors made countless trips out of town in all kinds of weather -good and bad-to see patients that were too sick to leave their homes.

Most Doctors kept a good horse and buggy in order to call upon their patients. The doctor often traveled with two medical bags; one that held all of his instruments and another that contained the medicines he might prescribe to sick patients. As there might not be another doctor around for miles, many country doctors had to know all kinds of medicine. In addition to practicing surgery, they also served as eye doctors, ear doctors and dentists. Since hospitals were so expensive and so far away, if you did have to have surgery, the Doctor often operated on you right here at his office -or in an emergency, right at your own kitchen table (which was usually the cleanest surface in your house!).

Although they worked very hard, most early country doctors were very poorly paid. More than one doctor bill was paid with a quarter of beef, half a hog, or corn cobs to burn. Unfortunately the doctor could not trade old hens or garden squash to pay off his own bills!