The Nissen House restoration came to be when the property that the house, originally, sat on was under contract to be sold. At this time, the Dampier Family couldn’t afford to restore the Nissen House to its original so they placed it on the market. Then in the Spring of 2008, two dentists bought the property but soon discovered that the house couldn’t be modified to suit their needs. With demolition looming in the air, the dentists gave the house to the Lewisville Historical Society with one condition, find a new location for the house. The LHS was graciously given a plot of land by the Town of Lewisville, that was once apart of the 50 acres that Nissen owned in the Town Square, on the corner of Arrow Leaf Drive and Lucy Lane. This new home for the Nissen House is located behind the old Town Hall and the New Town Hall. It is literally right around the corner from it’s original location. This new location would keep the House in the Historic Town Square and next to the Lewisville Elementary School, which makes it easily accessible for school groups and those wishing to experience history.
With numerous fundraisers held, generous donations, and grants from the Winston-Salem Foundation, the National Trust, and the Stedman Incentive Grant from Preservation North Carolina, the Lewisville Historical Society was able to move the House to its current location on the corner of Arrow Leaf Drive and Lucy Lane. The current goal of LHS is to restore the exterior of the House. This restoration would take the current state of the House and restore it, as closely as possible, to the way it was when George Elias Nissen and his family lived there. To fund this phase of the project, LHS is in the midst of seeking grants and planning fundraisers to aide in restoring the home.
There is no question that the Nissen Wagon Works, in Waughtown, North Carolina, had a profound affect upon Forsyth County’s history. The family busy started with Tycho Nissen in Salem but his grandson would move the operation out of Salem and expand it to become a regional powerhouse. There wasn’t a “road” in the South that didn’t have a Nissen wagon on it. The growth and expansion of the wagon company would continue under the control of George E. Nissen for almost forty years. The business would be passed from father to son, and then bother to brother until the business was sold in 1925.
However, George Elias Nissen’s affect upon the town of Lewisville, North Carolina is lesser known. At the time of John Nissen’s passing in 1874, George was living a simple life in Lewisville. It was here that George Nissen was trying to make a name for himself. He owned a gristmill and co-owned a sawmill with brother-in-law, Lewis Laugenour. This is speculated to be a huge asset to the area because it provided two forms of employment to residents, as well as acres and acres of wood for the wagon company in Waughtown. In the 1870 U.S. Census report, Lewis Laugenour’s house was the starting point of the Town of Lewisville and George Nissen’s house was the end. In this census, George was the enumerator of Lewisville. This paints a picture that demonstrates Nissen’s importance in defining the lay of Lewisville.
©2011 Keshia Horn and Austin Wright (Nissen House Photo)
