Per the original (scanned) 1984 Texas Historical Marker application records available on the
Portal to Texas History website:
"Donigan House, now Waller County Historical Museum, stands on its original site - lots eleven. twelve, thirteen. and a portion of fourteen, block twenty-nine in Brookshire, Texas. It was built in 1910. Raised at the corner of Fifth and Cooper Streets, a Mr. Hart, of Katy, Texas, was the builder, however the house's master. Dr. Paul M. Donigan. was the chief planner and supervisor - having the house built for the express purpose of providing a home for his bride.
Dr. Paul Manaseh (also spelled Mansell, Manosell) Donigan purchased lots eleven and twelve from Frank Gluck October 7, 1904, and lots thirteen and fourteen from Dick Bijbizian March 3. 1917. After the death of Dr. Donigan, Mrs. Donigan's niece, Nvart Zahiman and husband G.H. inherited the property, there being no Donigan children. Following the death or Mr. Zahinan (and Mrs. Donigan), Nvart sold the property to Berton Gates end wife who, in turn, sold to Olle J. Lorehn and wife. In 1977 Commissioner's Court of Waller County purchased the property from the Lorehns and assigned to the County Historical Commission the task of restoring the house and converting it to a county museum.
Uniquely styled white frame Donigan House was built of pine lumber milled at Tomball, Texas and hauled overland by wagon to the building site. That his house have a cellar was a cherished dream of the Doctor, but the low lying Brookshire area with its tendency to flooding ruled out a below ground cellar. Not to be outdone, Doctor Donigan simply raised the living quarters some twelve feet and skirted the area beneath with pressed tin to provide for the cellar. His office was built into this lower area at the northwest corner, and his horse drawn buggy, later a Model T, was housed adjacent.
The house was so positioned that its southwest corner was directly aligned with the street corner. This corner of the house, including its balcony and eaves line was rounded to a smooth configuration and became the focus of the facade, providing the main place of entry to the second level. Centered at the southwest corner, a wide stairway of concave steps rose from the ground to the balcony, diverging near the top to reach double landings. The balcony, continuous along major portions of the south and west sides, halted the march of its balustrades a few feet short of the rounded corner to provide for the double landings between which was positioned a half circle of railed balusters. Beneath, tall Ionic columns ascended past the balcony to a terminus at the roof line, adding dignity and beauty as well as support to the building. Dr. Donigan,. of Armenian heritage and Greek tutoring and training, was interested in Greek architecture and so employed the Ionic style in the house columns as well as Ionic voluted scrolls over interior doorways.
The parlor on the southwest was entered from a west balcony door, the upper portion of which was set with an oval glass window; a similar south balcony door provided admittance to the reception hall which opened into the parlor by double doors on the west - these were sliding doors. From the reception hall there was access to the dining room on the north, to bedrooms on the southeast and northwest, and to the sewing room on the northeast. The kitchen abutted the sewing room on the north and across the north side was the porch which accommodated a ladder by which the Doctor (when not wanting to use the front stairway) descended and ascended to and from his office below. The bathroom was at the east end of the porch.
Windows provided natural light and ventilation for the seven rooms, however, when electricity became available in the 1930s. electric lights were installed and fans provided. At this time chandeliers were installed in the dining room, parlor, and reception hall.
The house remains, in essence, as it was when it was built in 1910. The exterior has a new coat of white paint - in keeping with the original paint color - the original chandeliers remain, the old hardwood floors gleam with a protective finish. and the faded and torn wallpaper has been replaced with fresh antique patterned paper. Original doors, windows and roof have been retained,
Under the direction of a builder who had known the house from its early days. Donigan House has been beautifully and faithfully restored, having retained its integrity - down to the bent wood railings of the exterior stairway. With the exception of the replacement of deteriorated timbers, no changes have been made to the house proper. The exterior stairway, broken and badly damaged, was replaced with concave concrete steps built on the same plan as the original ones, including the bent wood underpinnings. A service stairway and a ramp for the accommodation of handicapped persons have been erected at the back of the building.
Presently the dining room, kitchen and one bedroom are furnished with pieces appropriate to the early 1900s, and the old sewing room depicts highlights of the County's history by means of a histowall. The remainder of the upper level footage provides museum display space. Only the lower level, the Doctor's cherished cellar which was, in reality, an earthen floored catchall used to store odds and ends, has seen interior changes, its dimensions and exterior bounds remaining unchanged. The deteriorated tin skirting has been replaced with boards, concrete and windows to enclose the ground level area so as to provide for a museum office, bathrooms and kitchen, a tea room, a meeting room, and a small archival depository. The floor has a concrete slab, is carpeted and the whole is air conditioned. What was once the Doctor's office is retained as part of the museum and is devoted largely to a display of antique medical apparatus. The adjoining storage area holds displays of small farm tools of yesteryear. Red antique brick walkways provide entrance to the lower level.
Dr. Paul Manaseh (also spelled Mansell and Manosell), 7-17-1859 to 12-27-1930, was born in the province of Gayve, Turkey in 1862. (From information available, 1862 appears to be the correct date.) From family information on file at the Museum, he was an orphan and was apprenticed to the church, the intent being to train him as a minister, also to provide medical training. At age eighteen he was sent to Louisville, Kentucky for medical training. Following
graduation, he married and brought his bride to Pittsville, near Brookshire. where he had relatives. Here he set up a medical practice. The wife died soon and Dr. Donigan went to California for a short time, but soon returned to the Brookshire area, where he met and married his second wife, Rebecca (Rebeccah), 11-13-63 to 1-24-54. Here he renewed his medical practice and built a home for his new bride - Donigan House. according to information gathered orally from local sources, Rebecca was born and reared near Constantinople, was a teacher and spoke several languages. It was on a visit to a friend, Mrs. Mary Donigan, of Pattison, Texas, that she met and married Dr. Paul in 1907.
When Dr. Donigan fell ill in the 1920s, Rebecca invited her niece, Nvart Kembikian, who was a nurse, to leave Asia Minor and come make her home with them. This she did, and there, in Brookshire, met and married Girogos H. Zahimen. After the death of Rebecca and the death of Girogos (12-9-1882 to 1-22-49), the Zahimens having inherited the property, Nvart (8-28-1891 to 11-2-1972) continued to live in the house until she died. Living with the Zahimens had been a young girl, Gladys Partisan, now Mrs. Volotko, of Houston, whom the couple had reared from an early age. Nvart, who was an accomplished musician, subsisted on scant means during her latter days: the people of Brookshire equipped Donigan House with a sound system and Nvart, especially at Christmas time, sent her lovely organ music out over the town to gladden the hearts of the people. The Donigans and Zahinens are buried at Pattison.
After the death of hrs. Zahimen the house fell vacant and remained so until opened April 21. 1979 as Waller County Historical Museum, the function which it presently serves. Since the death or the Donigans the house had deteriorated progressively: at one time there was a love to convert it to an art gallery, but this venture failed to materialize. Donigan House is in the care of Waller County and Waller County Historical Commission: it is in excellent condition. A County appointed Board of Museum Trustees has the particular responsibility of looking after the building and making recommendations concerning its needs and care. Uniquely arranged and elegant in its styling, Waller County Historical Commission believes the 1910 home of Dr. and Mrs. Paul Donigan, both Armenian Americans and he a physician who contributed notably to his community, to be worthy of historical recording and marking.
---
PAUL MANOSELL DONIGAN WAS BORN IN THE PROVINCE OP GAYVE, ASIA MINOR (TURKEY) IN 1862. PAUL M. DONIGAN, A NATIVE OF ARMENIA, WAS ORPHANED WHEN HE WAS A YOUNG BOY. AS OFTEN HAPPENED IN THOSE TIMES. ORPHANS WERE PARCELLED OUT AMONG RELATIVES OR FRIENDS. HE WAS APPRENTICED TO THE CHURCH. PAUL ATTENDED A PAROCHIAL SCHOOL WITH THE PURPOSE OP BEING TRAINED AS A MINISTER. PRIESTS IN THE OLD COUNTRY WERE ALSO EXPECTED TO BE TRAINED As PHYSICIANS. IN KEEPING WITH THE CUSTOMS OF THAT TIME, PAUL AT 18, WAS SENT BY THE PRIESTS TO LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY TO STUDY MEDICINE.
APTER COMPLETING MEDICAL SCHOOL, DOCTOR DONIGAN AND HIS YOUNG BRIDE JOINED BROTHER VERNON DONIGAN IN TEXAS AND SETTLED NEAR PITTSVILLE IN FORT BEND COUNTY. THE DOCTOR PRACTICED MEDICINE AND VERNON PARMED. THEY WORKED TOGETHER UNTIL THE DOCTOR'S WIFE DIED. PAUL THEN WENT TO CALIFORNIA TO PRACTICE MEDICINE.
PAUL MET HIS SECOND WIFE, REBECCAH, IN PATTISON, TEXAS AT THE HOME OF MRS. MARY DONIGAN (H. P. DONIGAN'S MOTHER). THEY WERE MARRIED AT THIS HOME IN 1907. REBECCAH WAS BORN IN CONSTANTINOPLE. THE DONIGAN'S LIVED WITH MRS. YERAN DONIGAN AGOPIAN IN EROOKSHIRE UNTIL THEY COMPLETED THEIR HOME IN 1910. THIS HOME IS NOW THE WALLER COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM.
MUSEUM RECORDS REVISED IN 1984 BY H. P. DONIGAN - ANOTHER SOURCE WAS THE LATE NEGOS AGOPIAN."