Actually, the next Hudson cemetery in terms of age is the Senter cemetery which we visited a few weeks ago when we were exploring Old Derry Road,  Remember, interments at the Senter site occurred as early as 1759 while this part of Hudson was within the town of Londonderry.  It became a Hudson cemetery when annexed to Hudson in 1788.

The old burial ground at Hudson Center is a small site containing about 1/2 acre.   It was first used a s burial site about 1775.  This was a public burying ground, given for that purpose by Deacon Henry Hale from a small piece of his farm.  Following tradition, the burial ground was located near the North Meeting House.  Today, this ground is  on the lower, east corner of the Hudson Center Common, just above Kahil’s Sub Shop.  The North Meeting House was located opposite the common on Central Street, and very near the site of the current Wattannick Hall.

Kimball Webster in his Hudson History, printed in 1913, stated there was a verbal tradition among the old timers that the first internment made in this yard was a Mrs. Gibson.  There is not such stone in the yard, probably none was erected.  Other than this possibility, the oldest date found here is that of John Haselton Smith, son of Page and Lydia Smith,, who died September 5, 1778 at the age of two,  This yard became filled with graves as early as 1850; and few, if any, burials have been made there since that date. It is estimated the unmarked graves within this yard out number those with headstones by as much as 200-300%.

 Once burials ceased to be made, it became neglected and suffered from brush and trees so that it became a disgrace to the residents of Hudson,  A petition  suggesting the removal of the remains probably moving then to another cemetery.  In 1871 a special town meeting was called at which this petition was dismissed.  In 1886, Mr. John Foster of Boston, a native of Hudson, made a proposition to the town.  He would  pay the expenses of building a substantial and permanent granite wall enclosing the yard on the condition that the town would clean up the ground and to keep the site in a good condition.  His proposition was accepted  and in 1887 the current wall was erected.  It has ever since that time been maintained by the town of Hudson.

A memorial plaque exists to the right of the game as a memorial for the wall to his parents. Today this is done by the Highway Dept. and the town cemetery trustees.  A few years after 1887 the fir trees were added to the Common beside the cemetery wall.

Today’s photos were taken in 2017 by Jonathan Rollins and are a part of the Society collection.