Walking our Village History 

By Sandi Dix 

The Annual Historic Walk on April 2nd, co-hosted by the Town Historic Preservation Commission and the AHF Membership Committee, was well attended. About 25 residents joined our guides for the walk.

We gathered at the AHF Hall where everyone got a name badge - a great way for us to put names and faces together and meet some of our newcomers. After a brief welcome, we headed over to the Memory Garden where Sandi Dix gave a brief history of the Garden. Then it was off to the entrance of Deerhead Hammock, where Jean Henderson and John Daly imparted their wisdom on this historic landmark.

On the way to where Erna Nixon once lived, we convinced a new resident who was working in her yard to join us. I think she was secretly ready for a break!  When we got to the old home site of Erna Nixon, long time Villager Gail Griswold was there to greet us. She had pictures to show and stories of Erna. As you may know, Erna Nixon and several other residents including then Village resident Gerald Einem were instrumental in getting the county to buy the land we know as Erna Nixon Park on Evans Road. In tribute to her hard work, the Village named our park after her as well.

We thanked Gail and headed to  hear Tom Kjerulff talk about his mother, Georgiana Kjerulff, a wonderful writer who has published several books. There is a copy of one you may be familiar with,  Troubled Paradise, in the AHF’s historic room. The book contains many interesting stories and pictures about the Village. If you haven’t read it, please put it on your reading list. 

Next, we walked through Erna Nixon Hammock. We were shown native plants and given a brief talk about the hammock and its ecosystem. We learned that the local Native Plant Society was started by Melbourne Villagers, Erna Nixon, June Golder and Hester Wagner.

As we made our way to the Print Shop Bridge, AHF Historian Yvonne Shingler kept us entertained with stories of the Village and its residents. Then it was back to the AHF Hall for refreshments. Everyone agreed that we learned a lot about this place that we call home. If you missed this year’s walk…Please don’t miss next year’s.