May 17, 2023 The cause is not known, but Dickinson Fire Chief Keith Morgan said there was smoke in a wall behind a fire place.
By John Wayne Ferguson Source Houston Chronicle (TNS) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
May 16—A historic home in Dickinson was destroyed in a fire Tuesday afternoon, officials said.
The Nicholstone House, on Park Avenue, stood on the banks of Dickinson Bayou since 1857. The building had been a target of local preservationists, who hoped to preserve rare example of Queen Anne Victorian-style architecture before it decayed away, said Joan Malmrose, the executive director of the Dickinson Historical Society.
The building was the oldest existing residence in Dickinson, according to the Galveston Historical Foundation.
“It’s so, so sad,” Malmrose said as firefighters worked to put out the remaining flames of the multialarm fire.
The fire started around 4:15 p.m. as a strong thunderstorm passed over Galveston County. A suspected cause wasn’t announced.
The couple who lived in the home escaped and weren’t injured, officials said. Three firefighters suffered non-life threatening injuries and were taken to a hospital for treatment.
The house was built by Ebenezer Nichols, a Galveston entrepreneur and railroad executive who had a summer estate built on Dickinson Bayou during the island’s 19th century heyday. The estate the house stood on once included an exposition hall, a ladies pavilion, an artesian well and a private railroad spur that accommodated excursion cars from Galveston and Houston, according to a press release from the city of Dickinson.
The building was originally a single-story home but was remodeled to include a second story in 1872 after Nichols’ death.
The home had stayed in the possession of Nichols descendents even to this day, Malmrose said. The family had tried to maintain the house, and in recent years it was added to the historical foundation’s Heritage at Risk list. The designation is meant to draw attention to a structure at risk of being lost. The historical foundation said the building “was in danger of being lost to the elements of the Gulf Coast climate.”
“This tragic event serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of preserving our community’s history and cherishing the architectural treasures that tell our story,” Dickinson spokeswoman Jaree Hefner said in the press release. “The loss of the Nicholstone Home is deeply felt by the residents of Dickinson and beyond.”
Firefighters from Dickinson, Santa Fe, League City, San Leon, Texas City and Galveston responded to the blaze, officials said.