HISTORY
In Preserving the Past,
Paving a Way for the Future
First Presbyterian Church of Hudson has a rich history and, WITH YOUR HELP, a vibrant future ahead. Dutch Lutherans and Calvinists settled the City of Hudson in 1662, then known as Claverack Landing. In 1783, Nantucket Quaker and Congregationalist whalers moved into the community and in 1785 obtained the first city charter in the new Republic. First Presbyterian organized as a Congregational denomination in 1785. In 1792, the congregation erected their first permanent home at the corner of Second and present-day Allen streets and the following year elected to become a Presbyterian congregation. That congregation built the present substantial stone edifice on the corner of Warren and Fourth streets in 1837, a site from which the Marquis de Lafayette had addressed the citizens of Hudson in 1824. Pioneer mental health advocate Dr. Samuel White, United States President Martin Van Buren, chemist Frederick Belding Power, and America’s premier nineteenth-century landscape painter Frederic Church are among the many notable Americans who have since worshiped within the building.
In 1877, the structure was considerably enlarged when two prominent towers and an elegant Gothic facade with a spectacular rose window designed by architect John A. Woods were added. The building continued to play a central role in the spiritual and cultural life in the City of Hudson to the present day. In addition to housing a Presbyterian congregation, as well as temporary home for other denominations, First Presbyterian has served for generations as a community center. The church has been the site of numerous concerts, plays, social and public service events, academic lectures, and social service organizations such as AA and NA, and is currently home to WGXC Community Radio and the Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhood. In addition, The Edith Casey Stocking Fund, the Hudson Day Care Center, the Hudson Community International Dinner, Re-Entry Columbia, and the Staley B. Keith Social Justice Center are only a few of the many civic organizations that were born within its walls. Moreover, the building contains the official City of Hudson clock/timepiece in its soaring east tower. The structure remains a treasured architectural icon of our city's rich heritage as well as a beacon of stability amidst our city's dynamic present.