Orphanage/Almshouse/Library
One of the oldest surviving monumental buildings in the city is this very plain Greek Revival building of native stone, originally built as an Almshouse and Orphanage. Hudson was a seafaring town originally, full of sailors, their "girlfriends" and a number of unintended offspring. It served a number of various municipal functions over the years, eventually becoming the property of the School District, which recently sold it to the not-for-profit "Friends of the Hudson Area Library" who have undertaken to operate, maintain and restore it. This view looks from south Fourth Street - in front of the Courthouse - across Warren street (the first set of stoplights) and Columbia Street (the second set) up to State Street, where the building counterweights the Courthouse across the City's lateral axis. In this view only the central facade is clearly visible - the two wings being mostly hidden.
Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the origina... ... read more 
