The house was originally built in 1885. The lot was sold to Olive Coulson in 1885 with a mechanics lien issued that same year. In 1892 the property was sold to Francis Smith. It was then sold Mary A Rigsby in 1899 who lived in the house until 1915. Mary Rigsby was the mother of William C Rigsby and Nellie Rigsby (Mrs Ben Hammond). William Rigsby and Ben Hammond were major investors in the development of Highland Park. If you drive around the Highland Park area you will see the streets named after Rigsby and Hammond. The property was owned by the Rigsby family until 1944. Eventually the house was bought by the church. The house features great architectural details. The original wood clad siding was covered in asbestos cladding. The original wooden windows are intact along with the wooden screens. The house has high ceilings, transoms and wood floors.
The house before the move.
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| 219 4th Street |
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| Front Porch |
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| Beautiful Window |
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| Window Detail |
It took the house moving crew several days to prep the house for the move. The house was lifted off its foundation and then fitted with heavy duty tires to move the structure down the road. In order to make the move through downtown and neighborhood streets the roof was taken off and the house was cut into two large sections.
Prepping for the move
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| On Wheels |
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| Half a House |
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| Roof Sliced off |
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| Gable |
The actual move was made in two trips as the two sections of the house were moved from its original site to its new home in Dignowity Hill. It was amazing seeing this 129 year old house hoisted on large steel mobile girders rolling through parts of the downtown area.
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| Getting Ready to Move |
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| Pulling off the lot |
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| Squeezing through Nolan Street |
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| Making the turn onto its new site |
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| Made it! |
The second section of the house followed about an hour later. The two sections were eventually "married" to make the house whole again. Next steps will take care of getting the foundation in place and replacing the roof. Eventually the entire house will be restored and rehabbed. At this point we are all happy the the project went off without a hitch, a testament to the expertise of Dodson House Moving crew. It safe to say that Ruby and her husband Bruce have become instant celebrities in the neighborhood for saving such a grand old dame and bringing her to Dignowity Hill!
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| Second section of the house is joined to the first section |
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| Working on the foundation |
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| Ruby and Bruce with the Dodson's |
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