The Hudson-Athens Lighthouse

At the back of the property, behind the carriage house, the land sloped downward and ran all the way to the railroad tracks and beyond that, the Hudson river and the magnificent Hudson-Athens lighthouse. The views of the Hudson and the lighthouse must have been stunning when the house was first built. But, by now the area between the carriage house and the railroad tracks was dense with trees, bushes and vines.

The jungle, as we called it, was a great place to play and we often went off on adventures like the explorer Henry Hudson. Getting to the river though, required navigating across the train tracks. This didn’t seem like a big deal to me. But, Grandma told us the story of Dudley Gifford who had died trying to cross the tracks. Gram was always telling stories that instilled fear in us. It was her way of keeping us safe. It worked – my mind began to imagine young Dudley playing on the train tracks that his Great Great Grandfather built when suddenly a locomotive roared through crushing his legs and splattering blood everywhere. What a horrible death for an 8 year old boy.

Gram’s story was enough to keep me from ever crossing the train tracks – I’d stay in the house where it was safe. But, BJ wasn’t buying the tale. So, off we went on another adventure. This time we’d capture the lighthouse…

Dudley Gifford obituary