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Pritchard House Gardens
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GARDEN #13
Rudolph “Doph” Nelson was born March 9, 1889 in Nelsonville, Ohio, a town founded by his grandfather who owned a grocery store where Dolph worked as a young man. In 1914, Dolph and friend Harry Sisson travelled by train to Florida and “jumped off” at Indian River City. After establishing himself, he returned to Ohio and married Verna Gardner, a school teacher in 1916. They returned to Indian River City the same year and operated their grocery store and post office. Verna would take the heavy mail sack from the RR hook to the store’s post office, distribute incoming mail in the boxes, then reload with outgoing mail and return it to the RR hook for the train to “snatch” as it went by. They had 3 children, Ruth, Edward and Marilyn. During the 1930s they also owned and operated Nelson’s Feed Store, located at 323 So. Washington Ave. Titusville. They sold the grocery store in Indian River City and moved to Titusville in 1942 and established the Deluxe Diner. Made of two RR cars it was located on the corner of So Washington Ave. & Broad St., open 24/7 with 21 employees at peak. Many WWII draftees were fed passing thru town based on the 10,400 government vouchers they took in. The diner was moved in 1954 to make room for Baldwin Shopping Center. Dolph then purchased land at the corner of Broad St. & Indian River Ave. and established Nelson’s Trailer Park, which was operated by the family for many years. Verna started the Sew & So Club and taught Sunday School classes at the Titusville Baptist Church for 60 years.
THE NELSON FAMILY GARDEN
RUDOLPH & VERNA GARDNER NELSON
Sponsored by William "Bill" & Marilyn "Lynn" Nelson Birnbaum
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