November Speaker Explains the Link Between Hudson, Ohio and a Small Town in the Netherlands

Longtime Hudson resident Molly Logan will be the featured speaker at Hudson Heritage Association’s November 9 meeting when she shares the story of how the residents of a Dutch village under German occupation became the beneficiaries of Hudson’s generosity after World War II.

Mrs. Logan’s presentation begins in the 1920s, when staff at Western Reserve Academy discovered a crack in the bell hanging in the Academy’s Chapel.  Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the bell had been cast in 1611 at a foundry near Wester-Souburg, Holland.  In 1944, when Allies bombed the Souburg area to drive out occupying German forces, WRA historian Helen Kitzmiller remembered the town’s connection to Hudson. 

News of the town’s devastation included reports of widespread flooding caused by damage to nearby dikes. Upon hearing details, Mrs. Kitzmiller and her husband Harrison, a German teacher at WRA, began a relief effort that eventually spread throughout Hudson.  In the ensuing months, Hudsonites held fundraisers and collected much-needed supplies for the struggling community half a world away.  Hundreds of CARE packages were sent from Hudson to the Netherlands to help those who had lost their homes and belongings. Students in the two towns became pen pals and grateful residents of Wester-Souburg sent letters of thanks – many of which can be found in the archives at WRA and the Hudson Library and Historical Society.

A lifelong resident of Hudson, Mrs. Logan can remember her older sister’s role as chair of the committee that made paper tulips to acknowledge donors to the campaign. Hudson was a small town in those days, she recalls, and the entire community was involved in this effort to help another community in need.  A former member of the Hudson Heritage Association board, Mrs. Logan has made several presentations to the group over the years on various topics.  She also has served as a member of the Hudson Library and Historical Society board of trustees and co-chaired the Hudson Garden Club’s Home and Garden Tour for 10 years.

The November 9 meeting, which begins at 7:30 p.m., will be held at Barlow Community Center. The meeting is free and open to the public; refreshments will be served following the presentation.

Founded in 1962, Hudson Heritage Association works to protect Hudson’s historic buildings, the village streetscape, and the city’s Western Reserve architectural aesthetic. HHA encourages the preservation of historic buildings by providing research, resources and education to homeowners who wish to maintain  their historic homes. HHA also works with building owners to help them meet historic marker

requirements and identifies those buildings with the HHA historic marker. The association celebrates the history of Northeast Ohio by publishing books and newsletters, conducting workshops and field trips and hosting monthly meetings that feature preservationists, historians and craftsmen. For more information, visit www.HudsonHeritage.org or search “Hudson Heritage Association” on Facebook and Instagram.

Note:  All photos taken from the archives of the Hudson Library & Historical Society, or the archives of Western Reserve Academy.