The American Queen

The first time Charlotte-based and award-winning author Vanessa Miller stepped onto the site of the Kingdom of the Happy Land, nestled on a hillside just south of Flat Rock, she was left speechless. After months of research on one of only two kingdoms to have ever existed in the United States, she was moved by the powerful history of the story that provides the historical backdrop for her latest book.  “It was a beautiful experience and one that I will never forget,” recalls Miller.  “I was amazed to be standing on land that was once called a kingdom.”

On September 14th, Vanessa Miller will be speaking about her novel, The American Queen: A Novel Based on the True Story of Appalachia’s Kingdom of the Happy Land, at Blue Ridge Community College at 2 pm.  Known for her masterful storytelling, The American Queen is Vanessa’s first foray into historical fiction – after publishing over 50 books she characterizes as primarily women’s fiction with an inspirational slant. Several of Vanessa’s novels have appeared on Essence Magazine’s Bestseller’s List. She has also been a #1 Amazon Bestseller. Miller’s awards include the 2024 American Fiction Award winner for Historical Fiction and the 2022 Best Christian Fiction award for her novel, Something Good, at the African American Literary Awards Show.

Vannessa had not envisioned herself as a writer of historical fiction, but she is very pleased with the turn of events in her literary career. "I never imagined I was going to be writing about events in history, but when I started researching this story, I fell in love with it." 

About the Book

Much of what is known today about the happy land was first published in Sadie Smathers Patton's 1957 booklet which included a map (pictured above) showing where the kingdom was situated in relation to present-day tuxedo and lake summit.

The American Queen is based on actual events that occurred between 1865 and 1889 and shares the unsung history of a Black woman who built a kingdom in Appalachia as a refuge for the courageous people who dared to dream of a different way of life.

Several local historians have written about the kingdom previously.  Most notably Sadie Smathers Patton’s book, The Kingdom of the Happy Land, was instrumental in Miller’s research. Another source was an article written by Flat Rock’s Missy Craver Izard who wrote about the Kingdom for an article she published in 2021 and which was shared in the pages of Flat Rock Together.

Explaining the history of the Kingdom, Missy wrote:

Serepta Davis (above left) welcomed the group of formerly enslaved people and sold them 180 acres. (right) Ezel Couch, shown here in a photograph from Sadie Smathers Patton’s study of the Happy Land, was brought to the kingdom in 1873 at age one. He died at his home in Hendersonville in 1961.

“The Kingdom of the Happy Land began as a roving band of freed slaves from Mississippi who earnestly set out to establish a cooperative kingdom based on the philosophy of “one for all, and all for one.

Sometime close to 1867, the entourage of former slaves arrived on the Davis property, Oakland, just inside the N.C. state line. It proved to be a heaven-sent opportunity for them with an offer of housing and land from Mrs. Davis in exchange for labor. To this weary group of freedmen, this must have seemed the Promised Land.

Eventually, the new residents purchased 180 acres of land from the Davis family for a dollar an acre, and the Kingdom of the Happy Land was born.

Each family was allotted land to build their own home and a garden plot. The mountainside yielded timber for log houses and plenty of granite for a chimney. In A Brief History of the Black Presence in Henderson County, the late Rev. William Judson King remembers what had been told to him by his great-grandparents, residents of the kingdom. “It was an attempt to revive the African culture, to build a new tribe, and through it, preserve our race’s inheritance.” The entire endeavor was based on this tradition including a king and queen like the tribes from their African memory.

William and Louella Montgomery, the group leaders, served as the first king and queen of Happy Land.” (Link to full article here)

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With this history as the backdrop, Miller set out to write her first historical fiction novel. Her book focuses on the experiences of Queen Louella as she and her companions make their way from enslavement in Mississippi to freedom in the foothills of North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina

Miller’s synopsis of her book states:

“Over the twenty-four years she was enslaved on the Montgomery Plantation, Louella learned to feel one thing: hate. Hate for the man who sold her mother. Hate for the overseer who left her daddy to hang from a noose. Hate so powerful there's no room in her heart for love, not even for the honorable Reverend William, whom she likes and respects enough to marry.

But when William finally listens to Louella's pleas and leads the formerly enslaved people off the plantation, Louella begins to replace her hate with hope. Hope that they will find a place where they can live free from fear. Hope that despite her many unanswered prayers, she can learn to trust for new miracles.

Soon, William and Louella become the appointed king and queen of their self-proclaimed Kingdom of the Happy Land. And though they are still surrounded by opposition, they continue to share a message of joy and goodness--and fight for the freedom and dignity of all.

The American Queen weaves together themes of love, hate, hope, trust, and resilience in the face of great turmoil. With every turn of the page, you will be transported to a pivotal period in American history, where oppressed people become extraordinary heroes.”

Vanessa Miller holding her book on the site of The Kingdom of the Happy Land

After months of research and the arduous process of writing the book, Miller has great respect for the intrepid men and women who established the Kingdom of the Happy Land. “Their story really spoke to my heart. They were coming right out of being enslaved and then had the courage to build a new life in such a remarkable way. They found the land and they bought it and then they had the audacity to call it a kingdom.”

The Kingdom was to be short-lived and lasted less than 30 years. Still, Miller thinks this page in local history speaks to the incredible strength and resilience of the protagonists of her book. “I think it is beautiful that it existed in the first place. It was a triumph for them to build a communal society such as they did where everyone pitched in and their motto was 'All for one and one for all.'” Miller also thinks there is an important lesson to be learned from the Kingdom. “Imagine how we could be in a society if we all look out for each other. I think that the beauty of it is that it existed at all in America.”

When her readers finish Queen of America, Miller hopes that they will be inspired by the historical events depicted in her story. “I want my readers, no matter what their situation is at the moment, to think, ‘ If they could do something like that at a time like that, what can I do in my life now?’”

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Vanessa Miller's talk will take place at Blue Ridge Community College: Patton Building, 180 West Campus Drive, Flat Rock, NC, on September 14, 2024, at 2 pm. 

Read  more about the author and her extensive collection of writings at www.vanessamiller.com