After the D.O. Smith School on Windham Road was destroyed by fire, the school district voted to build a new school of similar size.  The sum of $900 plus the amount received from insurance was allocated for this purpose.  A conscious decision was made to not re-build on the Windham Road location.   The Hudson Center School, a two room house, was built on the east side of Pelham Road (now Kimball Hill Road)  just a short distance from Hudson Center.   This school remained in use until 1956 when it was closed.  The students were combined with the classes at Webster School.  Of the two teachers:  Florence Parker became a reading supervisor and Mrs. Marguerite Gilman  taught a second grade.  This building remains today and is privately owned.  Photo from Historical Society Collection. (Published in HLN September 26, 2014.)

Smith School – Last week we shared that Hudson erected two new school houses in 1896.  The second house was the D.O. Smith School  in Hudson Center on what is now Windham Road.  The building committee was authorized to spend up to $3,000 to build and equip the Smith School; which was named in honor of Dr.  David O. Smith.  In his younger years David O. was a successful teacher, he then studied medicine and became a very skillful physician.  After becoming a doctor he retained his interest in the schools of this town, doing  more for our schools than any other person during his long lifetime.  This school house was completely destroyed by fire and was replaced by the Hudson Center School on Kimball Hill Road in 1909.  The Smith School was located on the north side of the road at or near the present address of 42 to 44 Windham Road.  This picture is from an old sepia photograph from the Historical Society collection. (Published in HLN September 19, 2014.)