January Newsletter

January 6, 2024

Welcome, everyone, to 2024. We wish you peace, happiness and the joy of good friends and neighbors in the new year!

We don’t know about you, but time seems to move more and more quickly for us. It feels like just a few weeks ago that we were writing to kick off Hudson Heritage Association’s new programming year in September. Now, we are fast approaching our spring lineup of offerings. We hope you were able to join us throughout the fall and we hope we will see you throughout the coming months until we conclude our series of monthly programs in May with our annual meeting for members.

This month, however, we want to draw your attention to a very special program that we will be presenting on January 11 when our featured speakers (yes, we have several individuals joining us that night) will tell us about Sojourner Truth, her work as a crusader for women’s rights, her fight to end slavery and her connection to Akron. A highlight will be a dramatic presentation of Truth’s famous speech, “Ain’t I a Woman?” which she gave just a few miles from Hudson. More details about this unique evening follow below. Please mark your calendar now; you will want to be sure to join us!

In other news, we were very pleased to learn that City Council voted December 12 to approve amendments to the city's land development code designed to provide clearer guidance to developers regarding higher-density residential projects. The amendment "expands regulations relevant to the building of proposed density for residential developments adjacent to existing developments" and revises downward the number of units that can be included per acre in new developments in the outer village residential neighborhood and Hudson’s historic residential neighborhood.

When we spoke at the public hearing Council held before the vote, we especially commended the city for considering the protections the proposed ordinance will offer our historic district and the surrounding former village. “There is perhaps no greater asset Hudson has than the carefully managed space that contains our oldest and most historic properties,” we noted. “Additional restrictions on what can be built on the relatively small parcels of land in this part of town will go a long way to preventing unwise and inappropriate development in the part of Hudson that is considered a model of historic preservation.”

We also want to make you aware of the last chance to provide input to Hudson’s new Comprehensive Plan, which is in the process of being finalized after more than a year’s work on the part of city staff and community volunteers. A last community forum is planned for Wednesday, January 31, where members of the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee will be seeking feedback from Hudson residents to confirm if what the committee has heard from the community to date is accurate and if the goals and land use plans included in the draft plan document require further revision. This will be the final opportunity to provide your opinions and ideas about the document that will guide development and other important decisions in Hudson for the next 10 years. If you agree, we hope in particular that you will take the time to tell the committee about the critical importance of preserving and protecting historic Hudson, and making sure the rest of Hudson is developed and maintained in a way that harmonizes with our historic downtown, neighborhoods and streetscape.

The community forum on January 31 will be held from 6 -9 p.m. and will take place at the Media Center at Hudson High School. Before then, you may wish to review the draft plan the committee has already completed, which you can access here.

Finally, we want to remind you that the deadline to be considered for this year’s Preservation Awards is January 31. Each year, Hudson Heritage Association recognizes and honors historic structures in Hudson that have been well preserved or restored within the last five years in a manner that maintains the historic integrity of the property. There is no maximum or minimum number of awards and we would love to recognize your property if you think it fits the requirements for this distinctive tribute. More information about the nomination process and the criteria considered by the judges can be found here.

As always, thank you for your support of our work and your interest in what we do.

Diccon Ong & Nora Jacobs Snider

Co-Presidents

Hudson Heritage Association

January Meeting Examines the Life of Celebrated Abolitionist and Women's Rights Activist Sojourner Truth

Regarded as one of the nineteenth century’s most important human rights advocates, Sojourner Truth delivered what is considered one of the most significant abolitionist and women’s rights speeches in American history just a few miles from Hudson when she spoke at the Second Women’s Rights Convention in Akron in 1851. On January 11, guests at the Hudson Heritage Association’s general meeting will learn about Truth’s life and the work to memorialize her significance in history. A dramatization of Truth’s historic speech, “Ain’t I a Woman,” will be part of the program.

Shown here, Sojourner Truth will be the topic of HHA’s January program when speakers from the Sojourner Truth Project explore her life’s work as an abolitionist and women rights advocate. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Isabella Baumfree was born in 1797 to a New York slave owner who refused to honor the New York Anti-Slavery Law of 1827. Taking her life into her own hands, Baumfree walked away from bondage and subsequently experienced a religious conversion and took the name Sojourner Truth. She became an itinerant preacher, became involved in the abolitionist movement and also took up the cause of women’s rights. She spoke out for the rights of women and African Americans until her death in 1883.

HHA’s January meeting, to be held at Barlow Community Center, will feature members of The Sojourner Truth Project in Akron and will include background on the life of the formerly enslaved woman as well as an update on the project designed to recognize Truth’s work and the suffrage centennial in Summit County. Thanks to the efforts of many volunteers and through contributions community-wide, as well as support from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Sojourner Truth Legacy Plaza will be dedicated on North High Street, beside the United Way building, in May 2024. More information about the project can be found at https://www.truthstatue.org/

Presenters at HHA’s meeting will include Leianne Neff Heppner, President & CEO, The Summit County Historical Society of Akron; Towanda Mullins, Chair, Sojourner Truth Project – Akron; Margaret Maurer, Education Committee Chair for Sojourner Truth Project-Akron; and Hazel Burney Malone, retired teacher, Akron Public Schools.

The January 11 meeting, which begins at 7:30 p.m., is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served following the presentation.

Accepting Nominations for HHA Preservation Awards

HHA is seeking a few good houses – specifically, historical houses or other properties that have been recently restored or renovated in a particularly thoughtful, appropriate manner that showcases the best principles of historical preservation. If you’ve lovingly restored one of Hudson’s cherished gems – or know someone who has – we encourage you to nominate it for this year’s Preservation Awards. Nominated properties must be at least 75 years old, and may include private residences, commercial buildings, publicly owned buildings, non-profit organizations and historic landscapes. The awards are presented at HHA’s general meeting in May and are judged based on the following criteria: 

• All nominated properties must be located within the City of Hudson, Ohio.
• To be considered, restoration and preservation projects must have been completed between May 1, 2018 and May 1, 2023.
• Properties may be nominated by their owners or by another individual or group. If another individual or group nominates a property, the owner must be notified.
• Consideration for awards will include appropriateness of the materials used on both the exterior and interior parts of the structure, including landscaping materials, and on the historic accuracy of any preservation or restorations made.
• Awards will be given only if all criteria are met and the work done follows the United States Department of Interiors Guidelines for Rehabilitation of Historic Structures, as well as any local building codes or requirements.

All nominations must include:

• A project overview that includes information about the history of the property/structure, the project’s objectives and a narrative about the work that was done.
• The names and addresses of all the major contributors for the project – architect, designer, contractor, etc.
• Photographs showing the property both before and after the project was done. Submit as many as necessary to illustrate the project.

Applications that meet all requirements will be judged by an impartial panel of individuals who have expertise in historic preservation. No members of Hudson Heritage Association will act as judges. Nominations are now being accepted and must be received by January 31, 2024. No applications will be accepted for the 2024 awards after that date. Winners will be notified in early April 2024.

For a look at the past winners and to download the application, click here. If you have a historical property that recently has received the love and attention it deserves, we want to hear from you! 

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