Hudson’s Busy Railroad Station

Here we see Hudson’s railroad station in it;s original position slightly off Greeley Street and behind the Town Hall (now Wattannick Hall). This station was used as a dwelling and later moved onto the Benson’s property. After many years of no use the station exterior has been restored and can be seen just inside the entrance to Bensons Park.

In this 1896 photo, we are looking east from the Greeley Street crossing at the Hudson Center Station (left) and the rear of the Town Hall (now Wattannick Hall) on the right. From this point the tracks are headed towards the crossing at Windham Road, on to the crossing at Clement Road and then to West Windham. A Post Office was established in this station in 1876 and Eli Hamblet was the Postmaster; a position he held until his death in 1896. It was at this station that animals and patrons arrived to go to Benson’s. Animals were shipped here and some were walked along the road to the farm. The Jungle Train from Boston brought people on excursions. There was a freight house (center right) and siding for handling goods. At the height of railroad traffic there were as many as 13 passenger trains plus freight activity each day on this line. Considering a single track line, this made for a very busy and dangerous section of the line. The railroad station was later made into a dwelling, but when it was no longer in use it was moved to Benson Park and can still be seen there. Photograph from the Historical Society Collection.