HUDSON IN 1860
Main Street, looking west from Market. The Gazette began business on the second floor of the frame building one door to the right of the brick building at the corner of Main and Church Street, roughly behind the sign that said "HARDWARE"

Remembering Hudson in 1858

by Hazel Pray Monahan

As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Hudson Gazette (later to be Hudson Post Gazette) which began in March 1858, it is perhaps hard for us in 2008 to realize what Hudson must have looked like in those days so long ago.

There were no paved streets or sidewalks, no electricity, water, sewer or disposal systems available when needed. In fact, most all the buildings in the business district were wooden, as were the homes. Through the files of the newspaper, from articles written about those early days, we’ll try and give you a glimpse of what Hudson must have looked like back in 1858.

Main Street was a section line road beginning at Cole’s swamp on its western boundary (US-127 now). It climbed a sharp hill whence it ran east on a gentle decline to a little east of Market Street, where it descended into another low spot on the flats, crossing the creek on a suspension bridge. It climbed another sharp hill, then ran on a level till a little east of Wood Street, when it went down into the valley of another little stream. These low places were quagmires of mud in the spring and fall, dry and dusty in the summer, and drifted full of snow in the winter.

West of the creek, parallel with Main Street on the north, Railroad Street was settled from Market west to Dean's Corner, (West Street). West of there only one residence.

South of Main Street, Fayette ran two blocks east from Church with three houses, one of which was down on the flats where the Metalloy factory is now. On the west, Seward Street was settled for a little more than a block; there was one solitary house on Lafayette Street, owned by Dick Ferguson; Washington Street had no houses and Pleasant was settled as far as the Beck House. The west end of all these were cut off by a fence bounding the Cobb farm/wheat field, pasture lot and wood lot; in the latter of which, Fourth of July celebrations were held and embryo orators pounded patriotism. North and South Streets ran from Main Street to the Railroad depot, beyond which it continued as West Street with two houses, and trailed off into the Baker’s Woods.

Howard Street was open but impassable owing to a deep gully and had only one house on it. Church Street ran from the bank of one creek on the north down into a valley south of Fayette Street, where one side walk was set up on posts six feet or more high over a swamp; then climbed up Piety hill. It ran into the country, the last house in the village being the Beers house, on the southwest corner of Church and Pleasant Streets.

Market Street started at one creek bluff north of the railroad, crossed Main street and came to an abrupt end in a fence at the “Elder Crab premises” now occupied by the Sacred Heart Church. There a fence divided the orchard of Uncle William Van Akin. He lived directly across from the Crabb house;

East of the creek, one street directly north and one south of Main Street were sparsely settled. Running north from in front of the Baptist Church, Tiffin Street wound out into the country, but there were no houses on it. High Street (Maple Grove) was a quarter section road and ran into the country on the north. The last two houses in the village being those of Cooley  (the house on the hill east of Buchanan Street, 701 N. Maple Grove) and Dr. S. M. Wirts (where John Decker now lives). Crossing the Railroad and Main Street, it passed Dr. Beach’s house (127 S Maple Grove) climbed a hill on a curve and, passing the house of Dr. Dickerson, came to an end in the village cemetery (now part of Webster Park). The cemetery overlooked the straggling village and the winding creek through a native forest of silver beech and maple trees.

A short street, a block east, ran north and south for a block each side of Main Street. On the corner by the railroad was located a big steam Mill. (This would be Wood Street.) The business district was almost entirely in the single block of Main Street, beginning between Church and Market Streets. Beginning at Church Street, on the south side, the first three buildings comprised the only brick block then in Hudson.

The first building was occupied by the “Stock Store” under the management of Wells, Peirson & Co. (Later the concern passed into the hands of J K Boies & Co). Drs. S. Hale and son, and Dr. H. Welch  occupied the front offices on the second floor, and A. C. Mercer, attorney, the rear offices. M. H. Webb occupied the same office.

The next store east was occupied by William H. Johnson, General Merchandise; the second floor was occupied by F. F. Bell, tailor; and the third floor was used by the Masons and the Odd Fellows together.

The third store was occupied by J. J. Daniels, dry goods. He later shifted his stock to Boies & Co., and R.O. Billings opened a dry goods business there. Spencer’s Fine Art Gallery was on the third floor. This block of stores was built in 1855.

The next store was a wooden structure standing on the site of the present Thompson Bank Building. This was called “Baker’s building”. It was occupied by Osborn and Eaton, who had succeeded Baker & Eaton in the dry goods trade. It was from the second story of this building that the initial number of the “Gazette” made its appearance. They later moved to an office occupied by F. F. Bell.

East of the Baker Building, William T. Stowe kept a book store. Above was a tailor shop, while in the rear Mrs. Lawrence Van Epps kept a millinery store. Between this and the next building was quite a wide stairway, and the next east was the “Miller building” built by Isaac Miller. It was a famous structure in the early history of the village. It was frame, three stores in height, the uprights being tamarack trees cut from the swamp on the county line road  just west of the Cobb farm. This building, in 1858, was occupied by Aldrich & Davis hardware dealers; their tin shop was on the second floor, while the third floor was used as a hall used for town caucuses. As the celebration of the Fourth in 1858, the ladies gave the Hudson Military a complimentary supper in this hall.

In the building east of this Silas Eaton kept the post office in a one story frame building with a candy shop “on the side” and a harness shop in the rear. Next was the Duryee residence, a story and a half building with its side to the street and set a little ways back.

Then came the drug store of Chapman & Beach, the "Shanghei Store” of Grenell, Whitney & Co. the jewelry store of A. I. Hill; the restaurant of George Bate; and on the corner Gillett & Gregory’s store. All of these were frame buildings.

East of the corner was Benedict’s Billiard Saloon, Hiner’s Grocery and Edwards’ shoe store, then residences and shops.

The block between Lane and Church streets had but two buildings -- the Congregational Church with I. Smith Hobart as Pastor and a square brick residence on the corner, overshadowed by an enormous willow tree which was one of the landmarks of the village.

East of Church Street on the north side of Main Street was the Exchange Hotel, kept by Cicero Comstock, then a low, one story frame building occupied by the Exchange Bank of Boies’ Rude & Co.

The next three buildings at that time were occupied by the “Elephant Shoe Store” of Alfred A Finney, the grocery store of Stowell & Graves; and the shoe store of C R & Hiland Beach. East of this was a vacant lot, over which by common consent apparently, lay the way to a livery stable in the rear. East of this lot to the corner were little wooden buildings, one story in height, occupied by Geo. Bate’s Bakery, Beason & Brother’s hardware, Barlow & Carroll’s shoe store, Davis’s harness shop, and Lowe Bro’s restaurant, the last building being a shed occupied by S B Whetsell as a “Tonsorial emporium”. The Old Boies store stood on the eastern side of Market street, and east of this were paint and blacksmith shops, carriage factories and cooper shops to the river.

So many of these wooden buildings would soon be destroyed by fire and the citizens of Hudson village soon realized the need to replace them with those of brick. The fire of November 1858 would destroy the buildings from the corner of Market and Main west to about where the present little park is now. Then the wooden buildings which stood on the present site of Thompson Bank Museum and those two just to the east were moved down on the flat near where the present Metalloy parking lot is today, and were destroyed later in a fire. Then in January of 1864 a fire broke out on Market Street and destroyed all the buildings from the corner of Market west to the brick buildings on the corner. The Arcade Block (215-217-219) was built about 1865 by a group of men -- John Osborne, William Ames, Martin Perkins and Joseph Johnson, and other later.

Thus this gives you a little idea of what Hudson was like in 1858. It was a small struggling village, filled with sturdy pioneer people, determined to keep their village alive and with the help of a little newspaper would keep in touch with what was happening with the outside world.

In an article on Page 6 we will find out more about who William T. B. Schermerhorn was and about his family and their impact upon Hudson.

Remembering who they were: The Schermerhorn Family

by Hazel Pray Monahan

It was in March 1858 when William T. B. Schermerhorn, an ambitious and industrious young man of 21 years arrived in Hudson from Lyons, NY, where he had been employed on the Wayne Democratic press. His wife, Jane, was but 16 years old. He took possession of the dingy printing office of the newspaper, which had previously been begun by a printer by name of Wolverton, who had come to town and assembled a scanty array of type, a couple of “cases” and an old Washington press in the second story of the “Baker Building." He had begun the issue of a paper which he had called “The Saturday Evening News". A few numbers had been issued when Wolverton was smitten with typhoid fever. He was copiously bled, scientifically salivated, treated according to the “heroic” school of medicine of that day, and of course, died. With him died “The Saturday Evening News.” So, when Mr. Schermerhorn arrived he took possession of this and endowed it with a soul and vigor which promised success from the start. He selected a block letter “head”, and he christened his new venture the “Hudson Gazette”. Gathering up news items enough to fill the form, he issued his first number.

A young boy, named George Fenton, who had worked for the previous printer, was told of Mr. Schermerhorn's purchase, and that he was to go and see Mr. Schermerhorn with the view of hiring out to him. George, Gideon Clark and Mrs. Schermerhorn constituted the work force of that first newspaper. The office had been left in bad shape. Part of the first paper was already set (the standing ads, etc.) but they were in such a mixed up condition that it required no end of work to straighten matters out. They all worked day and night to get ready for that first issue. That memorable day arrived, Friday March 26th, and everything was in readiness. The printing was done on an old 24 x 36 Washington hand-press. George held down the responsible position of “roller boy" (inking the type) while Clark was assigned to the more arduous task of “pulling the devils tail”.

There was never an important event of a domestic nature watched with keener interest or received with more rejoicing than the birth of The Hudson Gazette on that March morning. Seven hundred copies were printed, and distributed among the citizens by George Fenton himself. It was a success from the first. (One still hangs on the wall of the Post-Gazette office.) There was a tone and an “I will” spirit manifested in the brief introductory of the young man from the East that convinced the people he had come to stay, and on the next week The Gazette started out on its long journey with a bona fide circulation of 450. Mr. Schermerhorn made friends rapidly, and all flocked to his support, making personal efforts to induce people to subscribe and bring work to the office.

Prominent among these was that public spirited, grand old gentleman, the Hon. William Baker. He was untiring in his efforts to increase “Chemmy’s” subscription list, and would often from his store file into the office at the head of a long line of intelligent farmers and in his usual laconic way remark, “Put their name down, and if they don’t pay for it I will.” The office passed through all the vicissitudes and trials of those early days. "The old Washington hand-press -- all the press we had -- did our job work for several years, and not withstanding the fact that it had passed through three fires, was capable of remarkably good results. A “token” (240 sheets) an hour was good, rapid press work then. The office was not very well supplied with “sorts” (extra type), and they would very often run out of capital and small letters, having to supply the deficiency with italics and sorts from other fonts. If all but two or three capital A's were used up, some man with a name like Allen Albright was sure to rush in with a business local. Neither did we have fine brass galleys (to hold type when set), but rude wooden frames with zinc bottoms served for the purpose. For “slugging” we had stripes of veneering and zinc were considerably used. No fine “furniture for “labor saving rules” with mitered corners -- all mathematically true -- were not used in country offices in those days. In the place of the bright, handy electric lights -- which later guided the deft hand of the printer to the boxes, a humble “candle-dip” was stuck on the upper corner of the case, casting a sickening glare over the type. Water was not elevated to the second floor stores in those days, but the office imp was detailed to go to the town pump to procure the fluid to clean type and hands. The position of office “devil” was by no means a snap in those days. It was his duty to get down to the office at five o’clock in the morning, build a fire, sweep out, hustle out for breakfast, and report for duty’ again at seven o’clock. He was supposed to do the chores at the editor’s  home and at the office, and be capable, at a moment’s notice, to hold babies, or copy, wash the rollers, entertain subscribers, feed papers, too, collect bills, edit the paper in the editor’s absence, and for exercise, split wood after supper—and all for the princely salary of $52 per year and board!

But back to that first newspaper. About two columns were devoted to brief accounts of a wonderful revival of religion which was in progress all over the country. Of course, more or less space was given to the then all-absorbing theme-slavery. The local news contained much that was interesting. Hudson supported a fine military company, and their drills received high praises from the citizens. A large and active fire patrol was a feature. The Young Men’s Association was an organization for the intellectual advancement of the citizens: its nature was literary. The Methodist Church was in the process of erection and was occupied early in 1859. The churches here at the time were: Free-will Baptist, Congregational, First Baptist and the Methodist.

Now, a little about Mr. Schermerhorn and his background before coming to Hudson. William Ten Broeck Schermerhorn was born in Claverack, Columbia Co, NY. March 18, 1835. He was the youngest son of William and Helen Schermerhorn, the former a native of New York and a descendent of the Knickerbocker families. He was a weaver by trade and pursued that calling in Palmyra, Wayne Co. NY where his death occurred, his wife living for many years after his death.

Our subject developed at an early age studious and industrious habits, and when but thirteen years of age, entered the office of the Wayne County Sentinel at Palmyra, and thoroughly acquired the “art preservative.” Although his schooling had been somewhat limited, his keen observation and bright mind were ever active, and he was counted by his employers as one of the likeliest young men in the office. His ambition to progress in his calling led him to Utica, where he worked for a time, and later was employed in the Wayne County Democrat office at Lyons. It was here he was apprenticed to the newspaper publisher and learned the printing business. He married his boss’s sister-in-law, Jane Adelaide Terry, Together they moved still further westward to Lanesville, later Hudson, Michigan, purchased this struggling, small town newspaper and founded what William made into the successful Hudson Gazette.

The paper flourished from 1858 to 1884. They had a large family and two of the older sons helped the father with the paper. They had a total of 12 children, two dying while small and the remaining 10 grew to maturity and the boys, for the most part were for awhile at least, in some form of newspaper work for many years.

It was while during April 1861 that W T B Schermerhorn with energy and determination that characterized him throughout his life, issued a daily paper chronically the vivid and startling events leading up during that month to the breaking out of the Civil War. These little dailies were read with intense interest by the entire countryside. When Fort Sumter was fired upon, streaming headlines appeared in the little daily, and hundreds gathered in the town to read the dispatches as printed.

Schermerhorn's career was to be cut short, as while visiting in the city of Adrian, he was stricken and died of a heart attack at the depot, when he was preparing to return home to Hudson. This was in December 1884. He was three months short of being 50 years old, certainly a man in the prime of his life. He left a wife and 10 children. A daughter, Nellie (Mrs. Frank Barnes) lived in Colorado; the rest were at home except the oldest boy, William T.B. Jr, a student at Oberlin College. Those at home were Emma, James, Mamie, Mary, Byron, Charles, Fred, Harry and Vilette. Thus, William T.B. Jr., barely 21 years old, came home to take up the helm of the newspaper business. But his life too was short lived, as he died on April 18, 1887, not quite 24 years of age. Death was due to consumption.

Besides taking over the running of the newspaper, caring for his mother and brothers and sisters, he also served as postmaster, having been appointed to this position on Oct 19, 1885, a position he held at the time of his death. He was also superintendent of the Sunday School at the Congregational church. All this for a young man, who would have been 24 years old on June 23, 1887. Thus the second brother, James became the editor and proprietor of the Gazette in 1887. James was born in Hudson in 1865, and as a young man he had learned very early in his career to set type and run the machinery found in a country printing office. He had learned to get the news and write it, to solicit business, and, in short, to do all this he also got part of a public school education; and spent two years at Oberlin College, a congregational church college. For a time he had aspired to become an officer of the United States Army, and at age nineteen secured an appointment as a cadet in West Point Military Academy. He entered with a class that was to develop many of the generals of the First World War, but he found his inheritance and early life too closely associated with printer's ink to make a military life satisfactory. Following the death of his father in 1885 he returned to Hudson to take the management of the Gazette. He spent the next ten years in Hudson, and at the end of that period he turned the management of the paper over to his younger brothers and went to Detroit.

He worked for a time at the Detroit News and he along with some others connected with the News published a journal called The Electrical Student. The News sent James to Washington for one session of Congress as one of its Washington correspondents. Next the Free Press opened its doors to him as an assistant editorial writer under Judge Boynton, and with the latter’s death, James became the chief editorial writer of the paper. Then came the founding of the Detroit Times in 1900. He organized the company, became its president and was the managing officer until 1921 when he sold the Times to the Hearst interests and devoted himself to public speaking. His wit and crusading zeal won him wide audiences, and once, before a select group at the Detroit Athletic Club, he debated Clarence Darrow on the question of prohibition. After the debate Darrow was reported as saying “This Schermerhorn can’t be a real prohibitionist. He had a sense of humor.”

Although he had abandoned the small town weekly for employment on the Detroit dailies, he remained until his death a newspaperman of the old school, who would not sacrifice his personal opinions for gain. A liberal in politics, he strongly supported William Jennings Bryan for President in 1908. Sharing the Great Commoner’s view on religion and prohibition as well as politics, he remained his close friend to the end. He was with Bryant at Dayton, Tenn. during the Scopes “monkey trial” and heard the merciless cross-examination to which his idol was subjected by Clarence Darrow. He took part in a long front porch conversation with Bryan on the day before Bryan died.

Lovably impractical, but uncompromising in his philosophy, James S. did much to purge the newspapers of the nation of fraudulent advertising. One of his convention speeches led to the adoption by the Advertising Men’s Association of the slogan: “Truth in Advertising". Long after the era of personal journalism had ended James Schermerhorn continued to write in the Greeley tradition. It was his creed that no editor should affiliate himself with any organization which might hamper the expression of his views on public affairs.

A believer in the affirmative of the old debating question, “Is the Pen Mightier Than the Sword?” James often argued his point with his West Point Classmates at reunions. He died convinced that Hitler’s propaganda had been more effective than his panzer divisions. He died on Dec 2, 1941 in Detroit, Mich. His wife, who he had married shortly after returning to Hudson, Miss Adeline Jenkins, had died in 1915. He was survived by 3 daughters and one son.

Byron Schermerhorn, born in 1871 was also an interesting son. He was a bit of a slight rebel in the family nest. He loved newspapers but they were not his first love -- this special affection he reserved for the theater. Though his stage career was brief (one season in Frank Tucker’s Traveling Theatrical Company) throughout his life he held with Shakespeare that all the world was his stage.

However, the admiration and applause of a devoted family were enough, to the youth who even innocent bystanders claim, might have had much louder applause of the public as a matinee idol. He returned to help at the Gazette office and again filled his heart with Carleton, Riley, Hood, Field, and Shakespeare (he could recite the latter’s complete works.) It was about this time he chose as his bride, Miss Mina Olmstead of Tecumseh, Mich., who through their life together shared perfectly with him each dream, each hope, each interest.

Because he lived so close to his poets, Byron’s very manner of speech was often a source of surprise and remark to strangers. He knew the verses so well that they served as observations, answers in his conversations. His poets influenced his phrasing till it became delicately formal, in an age of slang, slacks and pedicures. It was arresting. He loved to recite Riley, He admired the Hoosier poet because the simple pleasures of home, family, and nature came first with him, too.

We're not sure how long Byron remained at the helm of the newspaper, but in 1908 Stanley C. Stone bought the paper from Fred N. Schermerhorn, one of the other sons.

Hudson remained always the dearest spot on earth to Byron Schermerhorn however. No treat compared to a trip back home! Bean Creek was more wondrous than the Nile. Briggs Stadium never took the place of the Ball Park out on the edge of town. He never envied millionaires angling for the mighty fish in the deeps of the Atlantic. He had fished Devil’s Lake and Bass lake.

On his visits to Hudson he never failed to pause at that spot on Seward Street where once stood the white frame house in which he and his eleven brothers and sisters spent the years that were sweetest and best. The home had burned several years ago when the late Tom Howes lived there, located at 304 Seward St.

He also published an annual cook book for newlyweds, many of the recipes coaxed from Mrs. Frank Whitebeck, an old Hudson friend, He served as advertising manager of the old Detroit Times, which his brother James had founded.

He died in Detroit on May 31, 1938 and he is buried at Maple Grove cemetery as are most of the Schermerhorn family.

The newspaper established by the Schermerhorns has continued  through the years and on March 26, 2008 celebrates the 150th anniversary of usefulness in this community, a record unsurpassed by but few newspapers in the State of Michigan, I am sure. For a period of half a century there were two newspapers here in Hudson. The Hudson Post and the Hudson Gazette. One was Republican and the other Democratic. Both fought for the party of their choice and faith.

The Gazette was started when Hudson was but a wilderness town. During the Civil War days when war clouds were breaking, the paper kept its people informed of the state of things at the war front and Washington. At various times during the war days Extras were issued.

When the World War I broke out the Hudson Gazette issued three extras in as many days giving the numbers and names of the boys from Hudson and vicinity who had been called to the colors.

The Post and Gazette were consolidated in 1919 when Stanley Stone purchased the Post from, Charles and James Steuerwald, father and son, who had owned and managed the Post in latter years. Thus with the consolidation the Hudson Post-Gazette became one newspaper, combining the heritage and history of two good newspapers dedicated to keeping the history and stories of Hudson, of its progress and changes occurring.

For 150 years the Gazette, and later the Post-Gazette have kept up the tradition of service to the Hudson community that William T.B. Schermerhorn started in 1858. Schermerhorn might not recognize the techniques used to produce and print the paper today, but he probably would be happy to see the legacy he started being carried on today.
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