Historic Hudson
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The town clock had its origin in 1859. The movement for the street clock was made in Tiffin, Ohio by Phillip Seeward, a watchmaker and jeweler who came to this country in 1833 from Bavaria, Germany. John Phillip Seewald, who was destined to become a a patriarch of the Hudson business community, was one of three sons.
Young John Phillip served an apprenticeship of seven years in the watchmaking and jewelry trade with his father and it is believed helped in the construction of the clock's movements, all of which was laboriously made by hand.
For seven years, after the clock was made, it was housed in a church tower at Freemont, Ohio, and in 1874 was brought to Hudson and set up in front of John Phillip Seewald's jewelry store.
The works of the clock were placed in an iron frame in the basement of the Seewald building. For the seven foot pendulum, a section of the basement floor directly below the oscillating body was cut. Weights, estimated to range upward to 500 pounds, were used to wind the eight day mechanism and for this purpose Mr. Seewald dug still another hole in the cellar floor. For this arrangement emerged a system of levers that connected to the clock face up the street.
Five generations of Seewalds have wound the clock and cared for the works. In 1931 Henry C. Blanks became proprietor and the responsibility for its care continued during his lifetime and the succeeding years by his son, Charles. Mr. Blanks once remarked that he "see no reason why the clock shouldn't keep just as good time for the next 500 years if it is taken care of". In 1982 the clock was given as a gift to the Hudson Public Library by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Blanks, and through a community-wide fund raising effort, some $9,000.00 was realized for its restoration and maintenance. Mr. John Decker, a local realtor and insurance agency owner, headed the fund drive and was the key figure in saving the clock for future generations of Hudsonites.
Historic Buildings
The City of Hudson is home to many historic buildings, some over 150 years old. The entire downtown was placed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1974. A majority of these buildings have been renovated, and appear largely as they did 100 years ago.
The Hudson Museum at 219 W. Main Street (open Wednesday and Friday from 1-4pm, and Saturday from 12-3pm) is a valuable starting point for those with an interest in history. Several noteworthy historic homes exist within Hudson, many listed on the National Register. Check out the slideshow to the left for examples and descriptions.
town clock
Historic Cemeteries
Maple Grove Cemetery, at the corner of North Maple Grove Avenue and Cadmus Road along the north edge of the City, is operated by the City and dates back to 1867, when the original City cemetery (in what is now Webster’s Park) became filled. Sprawling over 15 acres of wooded land, this scenic Victorian cemetery also showcases a striking receiving vault constructed in 1884.
Just beyond the southwest corner of the City across US-127 lies the predominantly-Catholic Calvary Cemetery, also located on a beautifully-wooded tract.
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Sports History "The Streak"
In 1975, the Hudson High School Tigers football team won its 72nd consecutive game, setting a national record football winning streak which stood for 22 years.
Sports Illustrated wrote about the record. The Streak still stands as a state record, and is a large reason why the community is justifiably proud of its athletic teams.
In 2010, the Tigers became the Division 7 State Champions, earning the first Michigan High School Athletic Association State Football Championship in Lenawee County history.
Historic Figures
Will Carleton was born just east of Hudson in 1845. After attending school in Hudson, and Hillsdale College, his poetry came to national prominence in the 1870s. He wrote several volumes of poetry, both about farm and city life in the latter part of the nineteenth century, with some volumes selling over 100,000 copies.
Named Poet Laureate of Michigan, and one of the best-known poets of what has become to be called “The Gilded Age”, Carleton died in 1912, following a bout with pneumonia, in Brooklyn, New York. While his work reflects the changing era of the last century, it still often speaks to us on issues of today.
The Hudson Carnegie District Library has a collection of Carleton’s work, and the Hudson Museum has a display on Hudson’s best-known son. There is also a monument to his birthplace about a half a mile east of the city limits.
City of
Hudson, Michigan
Small town, big heart