Next Meeting: Thurs, Oct 10, 7:00pm at Barlow Community Center. A look at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
Old Church on the Green
The original site for this 1860 church, Old St. Mary’s, was at the corner of Maple and Oviatt Streets. It has been at its present site since 1888. It is a simple church with Gothic Revival elements. A 26-foot rear section was added in 1908, along with the tower and entryway at the southwest corner. The old building was raised three feet at that time and the double doors were added, recycled from the old Hudson Central School. The church was established to serve the Irish Catholic families who came to Hudson to build the railroads in the 1840s.
Notable features include the lancet doors and windows, and the trefoil design in the transom over the entryway. The six stained glass windows were added in 1890. The basement under the oldest section of the building was dug by hand by parishioners in 1939.
In 1973, the congregation constructed a new church across from Western Reserve Academy on North Main Street. Since then, this building has served multiple purposes, including a nursery school, a community center and as a home for new church groups getting established in Hudson.