Now and Then
The Dampier family is shown here in a light-hearted moment in front of the Nissen House in Lewisville. From left to right are Tina, Katherine, Will, Mary, Doug and Teresa.
I first met Doug Dampier several months ago while I was taking photos around Shallowford Square. Doug is a very friendly man who seems at ease with most anyone he meets. At the time, Doug and his sister, Tina, were co-owners of the Nissen House in Lewisville. A few weeks later, Doug called me with an idea. But first, allow me to share some background on the Nissen House.
The Nissen House
The Nissen House is located across from Shallowford Square at the corner of Shallowford Road and Arrow Leaf Drive in Lewisville. The house was built about 1876 by George Nissen, who owned Nissen Wagon Works. Besides the Nissen family, the home was occupied decades ago by a Baptist preacher named Sid Conrad, as well as by John and Almira Kiger and their eleven children in the early 1900s. In more recent years, it’s been home to a family-run bakery and greenhouse.
To read more on the history of the Nissen House, please continue to the NEXT SECTION.
Owning a Piece of History
In 2005 Doug Dampier and his sister, Tina, purchased the Nissen House. Since they’d grown up in Lewisville, owning a historical site such as the Nissen House appealed to them. Doug cleaned up the property, removed remnants of the old greenhouses and sheds in the back yard, and planted a garden there.
While neither Doug nor Tina ever resided in the Nissen House at any time, the Dampier family has had many memorable gatherings there with family and friends during the last three years. There were chicken stews and Fourth of July cookouts with a front-yard view of the fireworks. There were the annual Christmas parades, during which snacks and hot chocolate were served to anyone who stopped by. And Doug’s wife, Teresa, threw a birthday bash at the house, with barbecue and a bluegrass band, to celebrate Doug’s 50th birthday.
One of Doug’s favorite experiences in owning the house was simply sitting in a rocking chair on the porch and watching, as he describes, “the rhythm of this small town.” People would often stop by and talk to him, and he was always willing to give tours of the house whenever asked.
Nevertheless, the prospect of restoring the house to its original state was not something Doug and Tina could afford to do, so they placed the house on the market. The new owners are two orthodontists who determined that the house could not be modified to meet their requirements. Doug asked them to consider giving the house to the Lewisville Historical Society, and they graciously agreed.
A New Chapter
In September Lewisville’s Town Council approved a motion to loan a specified amount of money to the Lewisville Historical Society in order to assist in the relocation of the Nissen House, provided certain conditions were met. To learn the latest status of the relocation and fundraising efforts for the Nissen House, please contact Merrikay Brown, a member of the Lewisville Historical Society, at 766-5842.
What’s the Big Idea?
Now, back to Doug’s idea. Doug had learned of the existence of an old black-and-white photo showing the John and Almira Kiger family standing in front of the Nissen House around 1900. Would I be willing to photograph Doug’s family standing in front of the Nissen House in a pose similar to the Kiger family’s pose? “You bet,” I said — and the rest is now history.
Be sure to take a look at both the old Kiger family photo and the new Dampier family photo (by clicking on the link in the next sentence). It’s an intriguing comparison of two Nissen House families.
Update on 3/18/09: The Nissen House was relocated less than two months after this post. If you’re looking for more Nissen House information, please check out all of the Nissen House articles featured on this website.
