These black and white photographs – created within the date range of 1900s-1950s [bulk 1920s-1955] – mainly document family life and familiar and vanished streetscapes that tell a story of South Front Street life in Hudson, NY in the early-mid 20th century. The South Front Street neighborhood of Hudson was mostly demolished by Urban Renewal in the 1970s, and many of these photographs provide a view of a neighborhood that no longer exists. Most of the photos were taken by various relatives and friends of the Cipkowski family. A large portion of the photos document the childhood and teenage years of Patricia Cipkowski, who attended St Mary’s Academy in Hudson, N.Y. in the 1950s. There are also a few studio portraits made in Hudson, N.Y. and in New Jersey.

This collection, which dates from 1740-2004, includes dozens of hand drawn maps, and maps with engravings, most of them originals, as well as bound atlases, representing the City of Hudson and its immediate surrounding area, including Columbia County and portions of adjacent counties as well as New York State. These items contain important information about the history of Hudson and the surrounding region – from insurance and railroad maps, topographical and geological maps, to bird’s eye view drawings and developmental proposals. The collection also includes maps that provide information about The Hudson River as a site of commerce, industry, travel, and tourism, as well as wildlife and residential life, since the settling of the city of Hudson. The collection features maps and bound atlases from a multitude of important historic publishers, including Beers, Ellis & Co.; H.H. Rowley & Co; F.W. Beers; Hudson River Sloop Clearwater; The Sanborn Map Company; and Frank E. Richards, among others.