Perhaps as early as 1888 Harvey Lewis began a long standing tradition of a grocery store in Hudson Center.   Moore’s General Store at the corner of Kimball Hill Road and Hamblet Avenue began about 1925 when Earl “Dinty” Moore purchased the business from Harvey Lewis.  Moore was a rural mailman in town but his family assisted with operating the store.  Ownership remained with the family; passing from Earl to his son Kenneth. Later Kenneth’s brother-in-law Morillo Post entered the business.  At that time they enlarged the business and added a barber shop and second floor apartments.  After the death of Morillo in 1963 the business was sold to David and Robert Thompson; both of whom had worked for the Moore Family in earlier years.  The Thompson Brothers operated the store at this location until November 1969 when fire badly damaged the building.  Rather than rebuild on this site the Thompsons relocated their business to  Central Street.  This 1940’s photo shows the business before the building was enlarged by Kenneth and Morillo. This site is now the location of the ever popular Kahil’s sub and sandwich shop.  Photo courtesy of Post/Granger Family and now a part of the Historical Society Collection.

This C1888  photo of the Hudson Center Common shows the view from the home of Eli Hamblet  on Hamblet Avenue.  Straight ahead is the Baptist Church, the church where he was elected as deacon just a few years earlier in 1882.  The large vestry has not been built, but I am certain the need for it has been discussed among the members.  To the right of the church is the home of Mrs. Mahalia Greeley; the widow of John Greeley, MD.  To the left of the church is the home of Daniel Greeley.  Daniel was known to have a good nature and he was well liked within the community.  In the foreground and on the left of the photo is the Old Hudson Center Cemetery.  Up until a few years prior to this photo the cemetery was in disrepair and the town was considering moving the remains from this site so that the size of the common could be increased.  This proposal did NOT meet with public sentiment and, as it turned out, a former resident of Hudson , John Foster, made a proposal to the town that he would build a stone fence and clean up the cemetery if the town would maintain it.  Imediately beyond the cemetery is a roof of a barn; possible from the barn connected to the Henry Brown House on the opposite side of the common.  Photo from the Historical Society Collection.