Read Main Street Through Downtown Hudson's Historic Plaques

You can walk down Main Street for years and still miss a detail above the storefronts. Downtown Hudson’s historic plaques give you a reason to slow down. The BID installed them to share the histories of individual buildings, including what stood there before and the kinds of businesses that once used the space. You can get a feel for the story in a short walk between three addresses.

Start at 51–57 Main Street

At the former Graves and Woodbury blocks, the buildings that went up following the Great Fire of 1894 were three stories tall. The two properties were later rebuilt as one single-story structure. From the sidewalk, try to picture how two taller buildings would have changed the view down that stretch of Main Street.

Look Next Door at 59–61 Main Street

The building at 59–61 Main Street dates to 1866–67 and survived the Great Fire. Over the years it housed businesses including a fruit store and a cobbler. Standing between these two stops, you can see how close a surviving building sits to a site that was rebuilt after the same fire.

Finish at the Former Hudson House

The building at 63–67 Main Street was constructed in 1881 after a fire destroyed its predecessor. It was once a hotel, restaurant, and market, and its upper floors later served as a rooming house. Take a moment to look above the street level and imagine how people would have used the same address for a meal, an overnight stay, or a place to live.

Open the Historic Plaques guide for more addresses and building histories. Save a few stops for another walk and see how many new details you spot on a familiar block.