If you go to Hudson Springs Park on a nice day, it’s not unusual to see people hiking, fishing, or boating on the lake. Families with children are often seen at the playground.
This park is largely owned by a family whose patriarch saw the potential of using the site as a recreational lake, first for his family and friends and, shortly before his death, as a business.
The May family recently celebrated a reunion of generations at the park. Joe May, 87, the youngest son of Dean and Dorothy May, said he and other organizers set out to bring relatives from near and far together to celebrate on the grounds of the family farm, which he remembers well from his childhood.
“It’s hard to express the unanimous joy,” said Joe, who lives in Silver Lake. “The hugs and kisses, the ‘Oh, it’s been sooo long!'”
Joe’s older sister Joan, 91, who lives in Hudson, was the middle of six siblings and two older half-siblings. Joan said their father was known as both a fair and compassionate probate judge in the Summit County court and a farmer who instilled a strong work ethic.
“He was a great guy,” she said. “He was very committed to helping alcoholics. He took them on trips and insisted they stay out of jail.”
The judge worked with Sister Mary Ignatia to help alcoholics start treatment rather than putting them in a jail cell, Joan said.
The beginning of May Lake and the family farm
When the May family purchased the 119.75-acre Foster Farm, it was leased to a tenant, Joe said. Dean gave the tenant an annual renewal until he retired around 1945.
Joe said his father used to climb up an abandoned silo to overlook the property and saw a 2.5-acre meadow back there with a creek running through it from the adjacent south properties. Dean immediately envisioned that area becoming a lake. The meadow was dug out in 1942 to create a freshwater lake, which was called “Little Lake” by the family and “May’s Lake” by others in Hudson.
At first, the May family stayed on the farm from midweek to Sunday, living in a cabin his parents built, Joe said.
“It’s long gone,” Joan said of the cabin. “We stayed there in the summer. I remember a fox coming in once. We saw wildlife all the time.”
After the tenant retired, the May family moved into the vacant farmhouse in late 1946 until a new house was completed in 1947, Joe said. This was a completely new experience for the family: The farmhouse had no electricity or running water, and the main source of heat was a wood stove in the basement.
“We were able to go back in time to a previous generation and live like that for a year,” he said. “We learned how to milk cows, work on the farm and garden on a large scale. It was a magical time for all of us. I think we were all enriched by those experiences.”
There are also many large snapping turtles on the property that the family catches for their meat, Joan said.
“She made a wonderful turtle soup,” Joan said of her mother.
The beginning of Hudson Springs Park
In February 1948, Dean bought about 50 acres of the surrounding land from Harland Fogle for $50 an acre, Joe May said. The land bordered Route 303 to the south and the southeast shoreline of the planned second lake to the north.
Joe May said Harry Miller, the man who helped dig the first lake before going off to fight in World War II, was contacted by the family to dig another lake for them. That company, Harry Miller Excavating, still operates out of Suffield.
In mid-July, however, Dean suddenly became ill, Joe May said. He was initially treated by the Hudsons’ family physician, Kurt Weidenthal, but in August he was referred to Dr. R.B. Chamberlin and admitted to St. Thomas Hospital. That fall, Dean was pushed to the lakeshore and watched the water slowly fill the 55-acre basin. Dean died on Feb. 5, 1949, before the family’s plans for the property could be finalized. The final diagnosis was histoplasmosis, a fungal infection caused by inhaling fungal spores commonly found in bird and bat droppings, according to the Mayo Clinic. These spores can become airborne during demolition or cleanup work.
Joan said her father suggested to Dorothy and the family before he died that they could open a floating business on the property if something were to happen to him. The family did just that, officially opening in 1950. A fishing lodge was built and the lake was stocked with bass and sunfish. Joan added that it was her mother’s idea to rename the area “Hudson Springs Park.”
Joe said all the children who worked on the farm had various jobs and were trained as lifeguards. Since he was only 13 when the family opened the park – the minimum age to become a lifeguard was 15 – he was assigned other tasks such as mowing lawns, running concessions and maintaining grounds until he was older. He added that more than 2,000 people have been known to visit the lake on weekends.
According to the Friends of Hudson Parks, Hudson Village purchased the 213-acre property in Hudson Springs 50 years ago in 1974.
“He left us a legacy,” said Joe May. Today, there is a monument dedicated to Dean May outside the Peter Maurin Center in Akron. The Peter Maurin Center, founded by Joe May, is a social service organization that provides meals, clothing and spiritual support to those in need.
Reporter April Helms can be reached at [email protected]
