Thou canst but wander its streets and vales,
And then before the countless millions stand
And tell thy merry and pathetic tales
If thou canst yet thy daily toil prolong.
Plead for the right, and battle with the wrong,
The happiness of heaven will o’er thee spread,
For thou thy path heaven-given still will tread!”
From the poem; The Ship Builder
By Will Carleton, American Poet, 1845-1912
Rich, black loam was the way the earth was described by the first inhabitants of Hudson. It was good for growing corn and providing crops to sustain cattle and sheep. The land was filled with trees and the creek, which meandered through the landscape flowing to a larger river in a different state, grew trees very different from those found in New York and Massachusetts. The water that gave sustenance to these strange trees was given the name, “Bean” by the first people to claim it as their own.
They came from back east and settled in the area around 1830. Much like Margaret would do at the turn of the new century; they left homes to find a new place for themselves in a territory as unfamiliar to them as the urban environment would be to
her. Some of these new inhabitants were her forbearers. In 1830, the land was cleared and a cabin was built so others could come and have a place to stay. The cabin was not intended to be an inn of comfort. The newly arrived settlers with children and seven-month-old babies had walked for many miles. They needed a place to stay while making a structure to call home. Sometimes as many as ten adults and children lived in the one room cabin that contained a cramped loft for sleeping. These conditions hurried the process of completing their own cabins. Families moved into the hastily fashioned buildings, often before doors or windows could be properly affixed. The nighttime would be an uneasy mixture of welcome sleep and terror. Packing boxes were stacked high inside the open door frames and windows to prevent wolves from an unwelcome intrusion. The settlement was first called Lanesville; however, it was commonly referred to as Bean Creek by the local folk. Eventually, it was given the name Hudson and by 1870, it was incorporated. Fifteen years after the first person ventured into the wild territory of Hudson, Michigan and long before it was incorporated, an American poet was born next to the Bean Creek. His destiny was shaped by the land and the people that struggled to live by it.
William McKendree Carleton was born on October 21, 1845 to parents who had settled in the area along with the other newly arrived people. Wil Carleton as he was to be known graduated from Hillsdale College. In 1872, he wrote a poem titled, “Over The Hill To The Poor House”. A moving piece of literature it addressed the plight of the aged and the indifference of their families. This piece captured the attention of the nation and suddenly Carleton stepped into literary prominence. Many of his subsequent poems were about rural life and conditions of the poor.
Hudson continued to grow becoming a city in 1893. Four years into the new century, Hudson’s population was 2,307. The city was considered the second in both population and importance of the three communities along the Bean Creek. The townspeople were described as being “thrifty”, and this description would later serve Margaret well.
The people of Hudson had produced a famous literary poet. Education was important and access to books would insure each child an opportunity to expand the mind. In order to do this the townspeople determined they needed a library. There was one obstacle standing before the thrifty citizens of Hudson, money. Yet, determination
to achieve a large goal for a small group moved them to see beyond their limitations. In Andrew Carnegie, they found a kindred spirit and $10,000 to build their library. In early 1903, Bryon J. Foster wrote a letter to Andrew Carnegie asking help to build a library. Mr. Carnegie replied on March 27, 1903. “If the city agrees by resolution of councils to maintain a Free Public Library at cost of not less than $2,000 per year and provide a suitable site for the building, Mr. Carnegie will be pleased to furnish $10,000 to erect a free public library for Hudson.” The new library opened in 1905 and by June 1908, there were over 5,000 volumes, more then the entire population of the town. In addition to reading, religion played an important part in the lives of the people of Hudson. Churches were numerous and full. The Methodist Episcopal Church was the third largest in the county with over three hundred members by the turn of the century. When Margaret was born, the town of Hudson had already determined her future. She would belong to the Methodist church, she would be educated and well read and she would be strong and independent. And like Andrew Carnegie, she would one day help to fund an institution dedicated to improving the mind.
When the census taker for the county listed the occupations of its inhabitants, the children would be recorded as, “Scholars”, rather then “at or in school” as was the customary reference. It was a fitting testament to a community and their educational commitment. Margaret would benefit from the visions of those first families who settled on the banks of the Bean Creek and built their homes. Though she would leave its banks, she would often return to her roots to be nurtured and healed and sometimes to be saved from the isolation of a lighthouse
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