The Hudson Public Library opened its doors to the residents of Hudson, Massachusetts and the surrounding area in 1867. A donation of $500 from Congressman Charles Hudson in appreciation for the honor of the recently established town (March 1866) being named after him, which was matched with town funding, funded its start. Operating as a small reading room in the Brigham Block building, the library moved six years later to a larger room in the newly constructed Town Hall.

In need of space again, in 1903 librarian Grace Whittemore wrote philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and requested funds for a new building. Committed to education and especially the public library concept, Carnegie donated $12,500 for the library. The new library, situated at its present Wood Square location, opened to the public in 1905.

Despite additions that added a second (1929) and third floor (1932) to the building, the Beaux-Arts style Carnegie Library has retained many of its original features. A two-story, Modernist style addition, coinciding with the 1966 town centennial, expanded the library further to its present size. Oil paintings of its major benefactors—Charles Hudson, Congressman Lewis Dewart Apsley, and Andrew Carnegie—hang in the library.

The Hudson Public Library’s original collection of 721 books has grown to approximately 65,000 books along with historical resources. A welcoming place in the community, the library provides meeting space and modern technology as it strives to serve Hudson’s diverse population.

Photo courtesy of LibraryThing.com