November Newsletter

November 5, 2022

As Thanksgiving approaches, we would like to extend our sincere appreciation for your continued support and belief in the mission of Hudson Heritage Association. We wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving filled with friends, family, and memories to celebrate the holiday.

Hudson Landmark Program

Members of Hudson Heritage Association have begun a preliminary survey to document properties that may be eligible for "Hudson Landmark" designation. Photographs will be taken of these properties, from the street, and a conditions assessment will be made to determine the architectural and historical integrity of the candidates. The last time this survey was conducted was in 1992. Since that time, some of the buildings and structures that were eligible have been razed. Buildings such as the Hudson Train Depot, the Youth Development Center buildings, several barns, and the Oviatt Curtis House are now gone. It is hoped that the new survey will facilitate the expansion of the elective Hudson Landmark program and help to protect some of the significant buildings outside of the historic district boundaries that may be at risk in the future.

After attempts to save the 1900s era building were unsuccessful, the prairie-style train depot was demolished in 2013. The depot was located at the intersection of West Streetsboro Street and Library Street in Hudson. Photo courtesy of Akron Beacon Journal Photographic Collection and Summit Memory, (Old Pennsylvania Train Station, Hudson, 1970).

Hudson Heritage Association Preservation Awards

Do you know of a historic preservation or restoration project in Hudson completed within the past five years that has adhered to high standards that promote and maintain the historical integrity of a building or structure? Now is the time to recognize the achievement of the property owner and their contribution to the historical aesthetic of Hudson. Nominations for the Hudson Heritage Association Preservation Awards are being accepted through January 2023. Please see below for links to access nominating criteria and forms.  

Hudson Architectural and Historic Board of Review (AHBR)

The City of Hudson is currently seeking applications to fill a vacancy on the Architectural and Historic Board of Review. This is an important position that helps to maintain the character of the community and determine the appropriateness to construct, alter, remove or demolish structures, buildings, or landmarks within any historic district. Enforcement of the design standards as they were originally intended is essential to retaining the historical fabric and aesthetic of Hudson. Further information can be obtained by clicking here.

Hudson Community Living Project

A planned community has been proposed to provide an accessible neighborhood for individuals with special needs close to city amenities. The proposed site comprises four parcels of land accessed via 33 S. Oviatt Street. Although the purpose and mission of the project are well received, there is discussion concerning the proposed density in Zoning District 3. The project would include construction of seven residential buildings, a clubhouse and a private drive. A public hearing has been scheduled by the Planning Commission on Monday, November 14, 2022, at 7:30 p.m. Please click here

for details.

HHA Monthly Program

HHA is excited to welcome Dr. Erik Chaput as our speaker on Thursday, November 10 at 7:30 p.m. at Barlow Community Center.  Dr Chaput is a member of the Social Sciences Department at Western Reserve Academy and will speak about "The Role of Ohio's Black Abolitionists in the Fight to End Slavery."  More information can be found below.  The program is free and open to the public.

HHA Historic Marker

Congratulations to Barb and Riley Lochridge, whose home will be the recipient of an HHA Historic Marker at the November 10 meeting. The Hale-Blackman House (1854/1880) was originally part of the David Hudson farm. Many interesting details can be found below and more will be shared with you at the presentation next week.

Hudson Heritage Association Membership

In December, Hudson Heritage Association will be issuing its membership directory. If you haven’t already renewed your membership, it is not too late to be included. Click on the link below to join online or to download a membership renewal form.

Be well and stay healthy!

Kathy Russell & Diccon Ong

Co-Presidents

Hudson Heritage Association

November Program (Thursday, November 10, 2022)



"The Role of Ohio's Black Abolitionists in the Fight to End Slavery" by WRA's Dr. Erik Chaput

Dr. Erik Chaput, a member of the History and Social Studies Department at Western Reserve Academy, will be the speaker at our November 10 meeting. Dr. Chaput's talk will focus on the often-neglected Black abolitionist conventions in the decades before the Civil War. He will highlight the careers of Ohio abolitionists H. Ford Douglas, Charles Henry Langston, John Mercer Langston, and William Day and the impact they had on the development of a constitutional discourse relating to civil and political rights.

Dr. Chaput received his doctorate in early American history from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, and also holds an academic appointment in the School of Continuing Education at Providence College. He is the author of The People's Martyr: Thomas Wilson Dorr and His 1842 Rhode Island Rebellion (University Press of Kansas, 2013). His research has been published in numerous scholarly journals, including Rhode Island History, CommonPlace, the Massachusetts Historical Review, and the New England Quarterly. He has written numerous review essays for Reviews in American History, along with over 60 book reviews for the Providence Journal since 2006. He is the co-creator of the Dorr Rebellion Project website which was just recognized by the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities for an outstanding contribution to civic literacy. He is currently at work on a book on abolitionist constitutional theories in the Civil War era. 

Below is a link to an article attendees could read prior to arrival: http://commonplace.online/article/right-path/

Hudson Heritage Association to Award Historic Marker to The Hale-Blackman House, 1854/1880

Barbara and Riley Lochridge, current owners of the home located at 128 Hudson Street, have received a marker from Hudson Heritage Association for a property that has connections to some of the most significant and interesting early settlers of Hudson and to some of the community's most important historical events or eras.

The marker will be presented to Barbara Lochridge at the association’s November 10 general meeting.

Built in 1854 on land that was originally part of David Hudson’s farm, the house will be known as the Hale-Blackman house and given dual dates of 1854/1880. The name honors two early Hudson families: the family of the first resident, William Hale, and the family of Edward and Martha Blackman. Hale was the son of the pioneer Jonathan Hale who established the Hale farmstead in 1810, now known as Hale Farm & Village.  The Blackmans purchased the house in 1872; their family and descendants owned the house for 82 years.

After being part of David Hudson’s farm, the parcel at 128 Hudson Street was first sold to Henry Day, a key player in the failed railroad speculation that swept Hudson in the 1850s. Day sold the house at 128 Hudson Street to Henry Pierce – likely the acting head at Western Reserve College at the time. Within a year of Pierce’s purchase, a small cottage was built on the site, and over time with numerous additions, evolved into the home that can be seen today. Hale and his family only lived in the home for three years before returning east. The property changed hands to a member of the Ellsworth family before it was sold in 1892 to Edward Blackman, a Civil War veteran and a carpenter responsible for many of the changes and additions the property experienced over the next eight decades.

Although the house is considered by some to be Greek Revival in style, it is actually an eclectic design featuring a series of changes that transformed it from a three-room cottage to a two-story home with a wrap-around porch. Many original details, including parts of the original cottage foundation, are still in place.

2023 HHA Preservation Awards

Nominations accepted until January 31, 2023

The Hudson Heritage Association Preservation Awards recognize and honor 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. No minimum or maximum number of awards are given in any year.

We encourage our HHA members to nominate preservation/restoration projects for the 2023 HHA Preservation Awards. To be eligible, properties must be at least 75 years old, and may include private residences, commercial buildings, publicly owned buildings, nonprofit organizations and historic landscapes. You can find the information about applying for the Preservation Awards Program by clicking here. 

Criteria for nominations include: 

• All nominated properties must be located within the City of Hudson.
• To be considered, restoration and preservation projects must have been completed on or after September 15, 2018.
• 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 the historic accuracy of any preservation or restorations made.

Nominate a property before January 31, 2023, and help HHA celebrate preservation in Hudson.

2022-23 Program Dates

Plan to join us for our popular monthly programs. Unless otherwise noted, these meetings are open to the general public and are held in the Assembly Room of Barlow Community Center at 7:30 p.m. Light refreshments are provided. A schedule for the upcoming programming year follows:

December

No meeting

January 12

History of Cuyahoga Valley National Park & the Canal System by Dr. Ken Bindas

February 9

The History & Current Use of the Ravenna Arsenal by (Ret.) Col. William Meade & Tim Morgan (Ohio Army National Guard)

March 9

Ohio Historic Markers & His Adventures in Searching for Them by Dennis Reiser

April 13

Students from WRA (Topic to be determined)

May 11

HHA Annual Meeting - TBD

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