Tales from Hudson's Crypts

One of Hudson's most popular events is happening early this year. In the past, it has taken place closer at All Hallows' Eve, also known as Halloween, but this year Kelley Drahushuk's annual tour of the Hudson cemetery, Tales from Hudson's Crypts: The Tour, takes place on Sunday, October 19. (Rain date: Sunday, November 2.) Registration is required. The tour is limited to 45 participants. To register, email brenda.shufelt@hudsonarealibrary.org.  

Recognized as "a virtual treasure trove for historians and enthusiasts of American funerary art," Hudson's cemetery includes more than 10,000 gravesites--the final resting places of the Proprietors and their ancestors, war heroes, celebrated artists, titans of industry, disaster survivors, and more. The tour provides an introduction to the history of the cemetery, its more recent history and discoveries, as well as its current layout.

Attendees will meet promptly at 12 noon in the parking lot beside the cemetery house, just beyond the entrance to the Cedar Park section of the cemetery. This is a walking tour, so participants should wear appropriate shoes and dress for the weather and conditions. The tour frequently leaves the paved pathways, so those attending should be prepared to encounter uneven ground, fairly steep hills, and mud.

The tour guide, Kelley Drahushuk is a longtime resident of the Hudson area, with family history dating back to the 1800s. With her husband, Alan Coon, she owns Spotty Dog Books & Ale, located in the former C. H. Evans Hook & Ladder Co. firehouse on Warren Street. (She is a descendant of the Evans for whom the fire company was named.) She has served on the Hudson Area Library Board of Trustees and is currently a member of the History Room Committee.

The tour is presented by the History Room at the Hudson Area Library. Donations, which are appreciated but not required, will go to support the History Room.