[1] On August 28, 1872, 16-year-old Ludwig left his hometown with his parents' permission and traveled on the steamer Westphalia from Hamburg to New York.

Portraits from the period show a confident young man who, despite his small-town background, was able to make his way in New York.

[2] He then worked at a hotel, as a shoe shiner, waiter, cashier, and accountant, before eventually opening a German restaurant with a man from Hamburg.

Other honorary offices brought him further respect: in 1897, he became Commissioner for the City of Brooklyn for the Atlanta Exhibition, in 1901 for the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, in 1898 he was elected President of the Manufacturers’ Association of New York and in 1900 he was appointed Treasurer of the New York State Commission for the World's Fair in Paris.

The American Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and Calvin Coolidge sought his advice.

[4] This dinner was "in recognition of the exceptional and eventful services rendered by him in various national and local fields of business, social, philanthropic, public and patriotic endeavor.

Nissen's memberships in various societies and clubs, as well as his honors and appointments, are reflected in a large collection of pins, badges, and ceremonial ribbons held at the Nordsee Museum.

The museum in Husum holds both a photograph of that experience and the redwood walking stick that Nissen brought home as a souvenir.

Though the plot already had a large home on it, Nissen had a new mansion built there by the Norwegian immigrant architect Arne Dehli, which was completed in 1908.

[7] The completed mansion was lavishly furnished and decorated with many expensive artworks, most of which are now in the museum in Husum that Nissen's estate funded.

The stately three-storey building contained both stables for horses (Nissen was an avid horseman) and car garages, as well as a bowling alley in the basement.

[10] He established the town of Husum as heir to his fortune of 2.5 million Deutsche Marks, and dictated in his will that his legacy was intended primarily for the construction of the museum and related cultural purposes.

From her estate, she gave the town of Husum $170,000, so the total inheritance for the city from the Nissens was 3 million Deutsche Marks.

Nissen's art collection consisted of artists from several European countries as well as from America, and also contained paintings and embroideries by his wife.