Although the exact construction date of Spell House in Titusville, Florida, is not known, it’s believed to have been built just after 1911. At that time, Mrs. Will Davis Spell purchased the plot of land for only $550. View the exterior of the house that has kept its original features, placing it on the National Register of Historic Places.
Mrs. Spell’s husband, Dr. James C. Spell, was Titusville’s first pharmacist. He used a corner of the Spell building to operate a drugstore. During that period people often had more than one vocation. Dr. Spell was also vice president of the Bank of Titusville. Imagine the constant foot traffic to the house to purchase medicine or perhaps get some financial advice. The site was likely a one-stop shop for help for both physical and financial ailments.
While you are in Titusville, be sure to enjoy the area’s other offerings. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex provides extensive educational and entertaining information about the United States space program, while the Valiant Air Command Museum has numerous original and replica planes from past decades on the grounds and occasionally in operation in the sky.
Travel by car just 20 minutes from the Spell House to arrive at the Canaveral National Seashore, a barrier island with sun, sand and ocean waves.
View Spell House along the wide Indian River in Titusville, facing east toward Cape Canaveral. Today the house is still owned by the Spell family, who do not offer tours or visits.
Nearby Pritchard house is also a good example of Queen Anne construction. It is open most days and offers tours of the dwelling once occupied by an early Titusville entrepreneur. Captain James Pritchard farmed sugar cane and citrus crops, organized an early bank and created a power company that evolved into today’s Florida Power and Light Company.
