Celebration and Recollection

Tomorrow, from 10:30 a.m. until 3 p.m., the Hudson Area Library is celebrating one year at its location in the Hudson Armory, now known as Galvan Armory. Many events will be happening throughout the day, a full schedule of which can be found here.

At any time throughout the day, people are invited to come in and share their stories about the Hudson Armory--stories of their own experiences at the armory or stories that have been passed down from parents or grandparents.

Photo courtesy Hudson Area Library

The construction of the armory began in 1897 and was completed in 1898. A nomination completed in 2012 but never pursued for listing the building in the National Register of Historic Places says this of the building's design: "Typical of armories designed by State Architect Isaac Perry in Upstate New York during the late nineteenth century the Hudson Armory is a fortress-like castellated style edifice designed to inspire fear and awe among the so-called 'dangerous lower classes' (i.e., Anarchists, Socialists and Communists as well as most immigrants and laborers) and pride and patriotism among the law-abiding middle and upper classes." Despite its fearsome fortress-like design, the armory has, from the beginning, been a place for community events--everything from hospital balls to basketball tournaments. And, of course, there is the great fire that occurred on New Year's Eve 1928. 

The library wants to document this diverse history of the armory, so, if you have a story to tell, visit the library anytime tomorrow between 10:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. and share it. The recorded recollections will be part of a permanent oral history preserved in the library's History Room.
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