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Hudson House, photograph from the federal nomination
Hudson House, photograph from the federal nomination

Photographs from the nomination case file, National Park Service records.

Hudson House

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. A historic map-sheet match is not published yet. The record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary.

From the record

one of 500 National Register listings in Worcester County · listed in 1978 · category: Building · one of 1 National Historic Landmarks in Worcester County.

Sources: the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
  • Address. NE of Oxford on Hudson Rd., Oxford, 01540
  • When was it listed? 1978-02-08
  • Category. building
  • Township. Oxford town
  • National Register reference number. 78000480 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

66 since 2015

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 66 fires within 5 miles of Hudson House between 2015 and 2020, burning about 32 acres in total. None started naturally. 4 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning19
Missing data/not specified/undetermined14
Recreation and ceremony10
Smoking9
Railroad operations and maintenance6
Arson/incendiarism4
Equipment and vehicle use2
Power generation/transmission/distribution2

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
8 September 2015Smokingunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
25 September 2015Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
15 September 2020Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
15 September 2020Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
9 August 2015Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
4 August 2020Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
31 August 2016Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
26 August 2020Smokingunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named

Every fire recorded in Worcester County

Specimens collected near this property

12 of 1,644 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 1,644 specimens collected within 10 miles of Hudson House between 1839 and 1974: 922 Plantae, 440 Animalia, 249 Fungi, 14 Unrecorded, 13 Protozoa, 6 Chromista. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A E WOODHEAD, A. A. Eaton, A. B. Seymour and others. Each is a physical object with a catalogue number, and each entry opens the museum's record. This is what was collected and kept, not a survey of what lives here - nothing can be concluded from a species being absent.

Image SpeciesYear Collected by Where, as recorded
Specimen of Chilonectria coryli (Fuckel) Ellis & Everh.Chilonectria coryli (Fuckel) Ellis & Everh.1896Henderson
Specimen of Coryneum pulvinatum KunzeCoryneum pulvinatum Kunze1897D. Murray
Specimen of Sceptridium dissectum (Spreng.) LyonSceptridium dissectum (Spreng.) Lyon1899H. H. Scudder
A photograph of the species Ochrolechia tartarea, not of this specimenOchrolechia tartarea (L.) A.Massal.1839E. Tuckerman
A photograph of the species Carex laxiflora, not of this specimenCarex laxiflora Lam.1840Thomas NuttallCambridge.
A photograph of the species Carex vestita, not of this specimenCarex vestita Willd.1840Thomas NuttallCambridge.
A photograph of the species Mycobilimbia hypnorum, not of this specimenMycobilimbia hypnorum (Lib.) Kalb & Hafellner1848E. Tuckerman
A photograph of the species Cladonia cornucopioides, not of this specimenCladonia cornucopioides F.Wilson1850J. L. RussellLeicester
A photograph of the species Geranium maculatum, not of this specimenGeranium maculatum L.1850not recorded
A photograph of the species Packera aurea, not of this specimenPackera aurea (L.) Á.Löve & D.Löve1850not recorded
A photograph of the species Carex aperta, not of this specimenCarex aperta Boott1853W. BoottMassachusetts
Elymus repens (L.) Gould1892Arthur B. SeymourCambridge.

All 1,644 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries near this property

10 of 19 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 19 workings within 5 miles of Hudson House: 15 past producers, 2 producers, 2 plants. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Iron, Titanium, Metal. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Crucible Spec. Metals--Auburn, Ma.IronPlant
Worcester B Plant TiTitanium, MetalPlant
Auburn PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Crossover PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Donald P Graves Sand and GravelSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Highway PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Highway PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Lind PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Old Webster Road PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Oxford PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Worcester County

Storms near this property

20 since 1998

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Oxford, the town this property stands in, in 20 storm reports between 1998 and 2023: 8 thunderstorm wind, 8 flood, 3 hail, 1 funnel cloud. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 2002Thunderstorm WindOxford$20,000Microburst
August 2018FloodOxford$15,000At 9:29 AM EST, several cars were reported trapped in flood waters on Sutton Avenue in Oxford.
August 2016FloodOxford$15,000Several cars were stuck in flood waters on Sutton Avenue near the McDonald's and Cahill Tire.
August 2016Thunderstorm WindOxford$15,000Trees and wires were downed on Worcester Road and Old Southbridge Road by thunderstorm winds.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindOxford$10,000Six inch diameter branches and several large trees were downed by thunderstorm winds in the Hodgesville Dam area of Oxford. Also, two utility poles were damaged. In East Charlton, trees were downed by thunderstorm winds.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindOxford$5,000no account filed
October 2020Thunderstorm WindOxford$4,000In Oxford, multiple trees and wires were down across town.
July 2006FloodOxford$2,000no account filed
July 2023Thunderstorm WindOxford$1,500In Oxford, a tree fell on a house on Main St.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindOxford$600In Oxford, a power pole was down and leaning on wire on Oak Street.
August 2023FloodOxford-In Oxford, there was significant street flooding at Orchard Hill Rd and Sutton Ave.
September 2022FloodOxford-In Oxford, street flooding was reported on an unspecified road.
July 2019FloodOxford-Flooding was reported on Sutton Ave in Oxford.
August 2019FloodOxford-In Oxford, the Sutton Avenue Exit (4B) off of I-395 was flooded with one foot of water and impassable.
September 2018FloodWest Oxford-At 12:51 AM, State Route 12 (Main Street) in Oxford was flooded and impassable near the Rite Aid pharmacy.
July 2012HailOxford-Pea to nickel size hail fell on the Oxford/Webster line.
June 2007Thunderstorm WindOxford-Numerous trees and wires down.
July 2008HailOxford-no account filed
July 2001HailOxford-no account filed
May 1998Funnel CloudOxford-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Worcester County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Named in the fire insurance atlases

Sanborn surveyors printed an index of the town's establishments at the front of each atlas. This property is named in one, read straight off the scanned sheet.

From the nomination file

1,856 words on record

When this property was proposed for the National Register, someone wrote the case for it: what the building is, and why it matters. That document is a federal record in the public domain. It is quoted below word for word, never summarised. The text was read off the scanned case file by machine, so the occasional stray character is the recogniser's and the 1970s typewriter's.

Description of the property

The Hudson House is located on Hudson Road in Oxford. The nominated property consists of a ½ acre lot immediately surrounding the house. The encircling property includes a forty year old barn directly south of the house and the large Hudson Pond situated east of the house. Extensive fields north, northeast of the house are bordered by Federal Hill Road to the west. The stonewalls lining both sides of Hudson Road were built by the Hudson family. The house sits on flat land and is encircled by flat farmland and swampy areas. Fields south of the house may be The Hudson House was built in 1720 by William Hudson. It is a 2½ story, ridge roof structure with a one story, ridge roof ell and attached barn/shed extending from its rear (north) elevation.

There is a central chimney on both the main house and the ell. The entire structure is sheathed in clapboards with plain corner boards and water table. Fenestration is 6/6. The symmetrical five bay wide facade faces south. The center entrace is a six panel wooden door flanked by sidelights with a panel below and headed by a wide, flat en- tablature. The windows and door are framed by louvered shutters. The west elevation of the house is two bays deep with a single window in the gable end above. There is a plain wooden door located at the northern end of the elevation. The west elevation of the ell is five bays deep with a projecting entryway at the second bay on the northern end. The attached barn/shed is two stories, with the first story below the grade of the remainder of the structure.

The west elevation has an entrance at ground level topped by two windows on the second level.

Read the complete 1,856-word case file.

Statement of significance

/ARCHITECT William Hudson The Hudson House is significant for its condition and original architectural character. It is also significant for its continued use as a working farm and as a property which remained in the Hudson family's ownership for 242 years. The house was built in 1720 by William Hudson, one of the thirty original English settlers of Oxford. The land grant for the Hudson property was made in 1713, at the time of settlement. The Hudsons were involved in local politics and with the organization of town militia in the 1740's. Because the farm is isolated, it was often the scene of Indian/settler conflict. Once the Hudson family was forced to abandon the house for two weeks and take refuge in the nearest garrison house.

The Hudson House is the oldest surviving building in Oxford and remained in the Hudson family until 15 years ago. The land has been farmed for 263 years, and the property is of importance to the town as the sole survivor of the town's settlement. The property remains a classic example of a self-sufficient colonial New England farm.

The whole case file for this property - 1,856 words, 11 pages, reproduced complete.

Quoted from the National Register nomination for reference 78000480, 11 pages, held by the National Archives in Record Group 79. See the catalogue record.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Photograph PropertyDistance Listed
Bartlett's Bridge2.5 miles2000
Stone, Joseph, House3.0 miles1986
Barton, Clara, Homestead3.1 miles1977
Tuttle Square School3.4 miles2002
Waters, Asa, Mansion5.0 miles1978
First Presbyterian Society Meeting House5.3 miles2010

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 78000480 in Record Group 79.
Worcester CountyAll 500 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

  • Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
  • Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
  • How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Specimens. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), https://www.gbif.org/. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY are used. Records licensed CC BY-NC are excluded because this site carries advertising. Images are checked individually and any whose licence is non-commercial, no-derivatives or unreadable is refused.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.