Akron Life January 2023

PARTING SHOT

by Nathal ia Tei xei ra, photo cour tesy of Summi t Memory/Akron-Summi t County Publ ic L ibrary

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Head of the Class Hudson, circa early 1930s

Enclosed by a brick and stone rubble wall, leaded windows and a gam brel roof with a flared gable-roofed wing, this notable mansion was home to millionaire James W. Ellsworth, who helped improve Hudson in the early 20th century. While the Hudson native made his wealth in running a Pennsylvania coal mining company, he returned to Ohio in 1890 to convert his fam ily farm into this country estate with 10 outbuildings and geometrical English gardens. After Ellsworth died in 1925, the property eventually became Hudson Country Day School in the early 1930s. In this photo, bundled-up students headed to chorus at the school, which later closed. The only part of the estate left is a gatehouse. When Ellsworth returned to Hudson in 1907, it was in decline, with no electricity, paved streets or water or sewer services, and Western Reserve College, which he attended, had closed. Ellsworth funded improvements, reopened what is now Western Reserve Academy and gave the city its iconic clocktower, which remains a symbol of his success in helping to turn Hudson into the thriving city it is today.

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