How Nantucket whalers built Hudson — and antique dealers brought it back

Hudson was built by whalers who lived about a hundred miles from the ocean. Early in 1783, brothers Thomas and Seth Jenkins led a group of Nantucket and New England seafaring families up the river. They were looking for a safe harbor where the British could not easily reach their ships, and they found a bluff on the east bank with deep water on both sides. They bought the land, called themselves “the Proprietors,” and laid out the streets we still walk today.

The town grew fast. By spring of 1786 Hudson had wharves, warehouses, around 150 houses, and a whaling fleet of about 25 seagoing vessels. It really was a seaport far from the sea. The last whaling ship left in 1819, and over the years the busy port quieted down.

The comeback came much later. In the late 20th century, antique dealers were early to open shops along Warren Street, the town’s long main thoroughfare. Collectors and decorators followed, then artists and writers, and the boarded-up storefronts filled back in. Today Warren Street is lined with antique shops, galleries, and restaurants stretched along one of New York’s most intact 19th-century commercial streets.

The easy look is simple: start near the river end of Warren Street and walk uphill toward the courthouse. The shops, old facades, and river view at the foot of the street still carry the whaling-port-to-antiques-town arc in one long climb. For events and current visitor details, check the City of Hudson visitor page.