Fires caused much damage  in Hudson over the years

Trivia Question: Hudson once had two fire houses -- where were they? (Answer at the end of article.)

Fires have been some of the best-remembered landmarks of the community over the century.

At this distance, it's hard to say what the worst fire of the century may have been, but a strong candidate may be the March, 1926 fire in which C.M. Beard's warehouse was burned, along with the New York Central Railroad Freight Depot, E.C. Rickenbaugh's coal houses, an old mill building full of hay, and several residences were burned. Despite bursting fire hoses, firemen were able to keep the flames from spreading wider, and a fire truck from Adrian arrived to help with the battle -- a far cry from the fast mutual response we've become accustomed to today.

What old-timers remembered as a larger fire, although less destructive, was the July 4, 1938 fire in the old Bean-Chamberlain factory, on Main Street near the Cincinnati Northern trail tracks. The building was full of baled hay, and firemen worked for many hours to  contain it to one building and extinguish it.

Other memorable fires over the century included

• The 1950 fire in which the Hudson Deluxe Theatre (now Hudson Lanes) was burned. The building was rebuilt, and would become Hudson's last theatre, in 1961.

• The Geneva Boat fire, in 1965, on Mechanic Street. A number of boats, rafts, and molds were destroyed..

• The Hudson Hotel, an old 2 1/2 story landmark, was heavily damaged by fire in 1966, and was burned to the ground as part of a fire training program in 1967. The removal cleared the way for the new City Hall and fire station to be built there.

• The Hudson Lumber company on West Street  was also consumed by fire in 1967. The  loss to the company, owned by John Huffman, was $60,000.

• Hudson DieCast Company, on Munson Road, burned in an explosive fire in 1968. Several employees were injured. The plant was later rebuilt.

• There was considerable damage to the Brown-Van Hemert Funeral Home  in a fire in 1971. The building was razed, and a new one built in its place.

• The Main Tool fire, in  1987, the building was extensively damaged and is used as a warehouse today.

• The Capone's Pizza (formerly DeMerritt Hardware) fire in October of 1988.

• The Mental Edge Tae Kwon Do building fire in October of 1997 destroyed two downtown buildings. Ten area fire department were on the scene to help fight the fire.

Trivia Answer:  Hudson 's main fire station for many years was located on N. Church Street -- it's now a parking lot. The east side station was located on Main Street west of Maple Grove.

HUDSON'S OLD PUMPER, dating from 1937, after its retirement

 

 


HUDSON ONE, (about 1970) was the main city pumper for 30 years, with (left to right) Dick Opsal, Ed Barkway, Mert Wilson and Wes Camp.
 

HUDSON'S MOST RECENT major fire was the Mental Edge Tae Kwon Do fire in October of 1997. Ten fire departments fought the fire, which destroyed two buildings.