Moving Experience — Phase 3

Muddy boots (albeit artistically modified in the photo) are shown being worn by one of the Nissen House movers on the third day of the house's relocation efforts.

Mud, mud everywhere. Rain had fallen sometime during the night and had left the ground around the Nissen House wet and mushy on the morning of Monday, January 5. But at least it wasn’t raining when the movers arrived at the site around 8:00 o’clock that morning.

The day’s main goal was to position the Nissen House on its new footings. The truck, with the house attached to it, was sitting headed toward the back of the lot, and it needed to move forward only 10-20 feet more.

As was standard procedure, the crew worked to move the house a few feet at a time, tediously laying planks in front of each set of wheels, advancing a few feet, and then repositioning the planks before moving in similar fashion several more times.

Bulldozers on either side of the truck, each with a chain or cable connected to the house’s steel platform, were used to help pull the house forward. The specific goal was to align the steel beam at the edge of the house’s platform with a stake in the ground marked with a small red flag.

When the intended destination had been reached, the next step was setting up wood supports adjacent to each of the dollies, so that the wheels could be turned, allowing the house to be moved sideways and positioned properly on its footings.

Once the house was in place on the footings, the dollies were removed, leaving the house resting on the wood supports about five feet off the ground.

As soon as the weather permits, the crew’s next job will be to ensure that the house is level. After that, some repair work will be required on the underside of the house, prior to its foundation being completed.

But that will only be the beginning of a rather involved restoration process for the Nissen House. Volunteers will be needed to help throughout numerous phases of the process. If you’re interested in assisting in some way with the Nissen House Restoration Project, please contact Merrikay Brown, a member of the Lewisville Historical Society, at 766-5842.

To see photos depicting the various stages of the moving crew’s work described above, please visit the Nissen House Relocation – Phase 3 photo gallery.

If you’re looking for more Nissen House information, please check out all of the Nissen House articles featured on this website.