Exploring Life in the Past Lane!

Hudson Heritage Association
PO Box 2218
Hudson, OH 44236-2218
Email: info@hudsonheritage.org
Website:  www.hudsonheritage.org

Sights to See in Hudson

Hudson Library and Historical Society

The Hudson Library and Historical Society is a combination of a full-service public library and a privately-held historical society, with an emphasis on historical and genealogical research.  Its collection includes materials pertaining to the community, as well as a major collection of material about Hudson resident, John Brown.
 

Hudson Historic District

There are two National Historic Districts in Hudson.  The first encompasses the central part of the village.  The Hudson Village Green is ringed with vintage structures, and includes the landmark 1912 clocktower.
 

The Western Reserve Academy Historic District

http://www.wra.net/ This covers the old campus of Western Reserve College.  Included in this district is the 1838 Loomis Observatory, the third built in North America, and the oldest on it original foundations.

Ohio Historical Marker here states:  

With the help of town founder, David Hudson, Western Reserve College and its Academy were founded in 1826. Often called "The Yale of the West," the college saw success initially as all of its professors and college presidents were Yale College graduates. Nationally, Western Reserve College became involved with the Underground Railroad and anti-slavery movement 28 years before the Civil War began. Moreover, Western Reserve College established the Loomis observatory, named for Elias Loomis, a Yale tutor and WRC professor, which is now the second oldest observatory in the United States. The Western Reserve College moved to Cleveland in 1882 and eventually became Case Western Reserve University while the Academy remained in Hudson. Today, the Western Reserve Academy is one of the nation's oldest and most respected independent college preparatory schools.

 

David Hudson House

318 North Main Street
On the Western Reserve Academy campus, built in 1806 it is the oldest standing structure in Summit County.
 

First Congregational Church

Hudson Town Hall, East & Main Streets

Ohio Historical Marker here states:  

On this site, the first meetinghouse owned by the Hudson Congregational Church was dedicated March 1, 1820, twenty-one years after David Hudson first came to the Hudson area. Its members met here until they completed their sanctuary on Aurora Street in 1865. In August 1835, church members unanimously adopted a resolution declaring that slavery is"a direct violation of the law of Almighty God." At a November 1837 prayer meeting, church member and anti-slavery leader John Brown made his first public vow to destroy slavery.

 

Gustave H. Grimm

46 Ravenna St

Ohio Historical Marker here states:  

On this site in 1882, Gustave H. Grimm (1850-1914), a German immigrant tinsmith, established the G.H. Grimm Manufacturing Company. His device, the Champion Evaporator revolutionized maple syrup production with the use of a corrugated pan which increased the efficiency of evaporating liquids such as saps. Grimm's business became the world's leading manufacturer of maple supplies. His contributions as an inventor, researcher, and manufacturer established him as a leader in the maple sugar industry.