Nelson is a small hill town. It was originally a town called Packersfield, which was incorporated on Feb. 22, 1774. Early in 1814, the citizens of Parkersfield petitioned the legislature to change the name of the town to Nelson. The people were disgruntled, because Thomas Parker had failed to relinquish part of his land holdings in payment for naming the town after him. The selection of to name Nelson was in honor of Lord Horatio Nelson, a British Admiral and hero of the battle of Trafalgar. He was a friend of the former Governor.

The town of Nelson contains 22,875 acres. There are several ponds in town which comprised about 1,879 acres of water. (The fishing isn't bad). The surface of Nelson is mountainous like that of the adjacent county. (So there is also great hiking and skiing) Over the years Nelson has become a resort of sorts, but don't expect hotels, stores, or a post office. It's a hide away, a place to create or just to relax. A place that time forgot, where the natives call visitors "Flatlanders." Days are spent walking down dirt roads that run along a babbling brook surrounded by distant blue mountains, swimming in ponds you share with a duck or two or hiking though fields that are filled with wild flowers and the sound of crickets. On second thought I'm not going to tell you!