Local History

Henry Hudson was probably the first European explorer to visit the site of what is now the City of Hudson, in his ship the "Half Moon" in 1609. Mohican Indians inhabited the area then, and continued to habit the area until much later.
The Dutch arrived in the 17th Century. One of them, Franz VanHoesen purchased a large tract of land from the Indians. His farm included the area of Hudson, plus part of what is now Greenport. The area was called Claverack Landing and served as a port for the surrounding areas. The landing contained only a few stores, wharves, and a canoe ferry.
In 1783, a group of seafaring men from Massachusetts and Rhode Island were seeking a safe harbor for their vessels because of attacks by the British Navy. When they saw Claverack Landing with its high bluffs, deep waters, and two bays, they appointed a committee which proceeded to buy large tracts of land, much more extensive than what is now Hudson. They purchased the land in the spring of 1783. By the Fall, two families had arrived. In the spring of 1784, more families arrived, some with houses which had been prefabricated in Nantucket.
This group, numbering no more than thirty, called themselves the Proprietors. A sizeable number of these individuals were Quakers. They made a pact that bound each individual to settle here personally or sell his holdings to the others "at first cost, without interest". They establised rules and regulations and laid out the City on a grid pattern, with lots 50 x 120 feet. Gangways, twenty feet wide were laid out between long streets. In 1785, the City of Hudson was Chartered. It was the third City in the State.
A European traveler, here in 1788, wrote in his journal that in four years the area had emerged from a Dutch farm into the position of a commercial City with considerable population, warehouses, wharves,and docks, ropewalks, shipping and industry. The local economic mainstays of whaling, sealing, and international trade declined around 1810 because of English and American embargoes, but revived again in 1829. The discovery of petroleum in the middle 1800's decreased the demand for sperm whale oil. The coming of the railroads in the late 1840's closed off the north and south bays as port facilities and Hudson again declined.
Even as the railroads and steamboats sealed the fate of one era, they fostered the beginning of a new era. Hudson began a transition from a seaport to a small industrial city. While there had been gristmills, tanneries, foundries and breweries in early Hudson, the railroad enabled new industries to take shape in the 19th Century. Knitting and cotton mills were opened and brick yards flourished. The Allen Paper Car Wheel Works brought a measure of fame and fortune to the city and a myriad of other small manufacturers developed during this business boom.
The economy of the City of Hudson began to decline during the last quarter of the 19th Century. The decline in the local economy and the resultant lessening of demand for land, however, enabled the City to retain its architectural heritage, and the richest dictionaries of architectural history in the state.
Submitted
Patricia Fenoff
City Historian
Pictures Below:
Promenade or Parade Hill(Early postcard)
In 1785 the Proprietors set aside this space as a public "Parade" for leisure use by the city's inhabitants. Its winding walks and landscaping are pleasant and its view magnificent. It contains a 12 foot bronze statue of St. Winfred, cast by George E. Bissell of Poughkeepsie. It was given to the City in 1896 by General William De Peyster.
Located at the West end of Warren Street.
(Second picture)
Robert Jenkins House.
Built in 1811 by Robert Jenkins, third and fifth Mayor of Hudson, and the son of the First Mayor, Seth Jenkins.
Artifacts to be seen in this house are from the period of the American Revolution through World War I, much of it from area families and pertaining to Columbia County. The museum also has paintings of artists of the Hudson River School of Paintings. Complete Civil War Zouave Uniform (only five in existence), military arms from the Civil War, Three Star Flag from General Grant's Headquarters and his personal table, a jawbone of a whale and ship captain's log.
The library resources are local history, genealogical records, early maps and books.
Located at 113 Warren Street
Phone (518)828-9764