Hudson’s Steam Bakery rises in first half of 20th century
Hudson’s Steam Bakery operated at the corner of North Race Street and New Street in Georgetown during the first half of the 20th century. It was founded about 1911 by Anthony L. Hudson and his brother Harry E. Hudson, and it was considered one of the largest bakeries between Wilmington and Cape Charles, Va.
A major fire destroyed the bakery in 1917. According to the Wilmington Morning News March 15 edition, a fire of unknown origin broke out in the early morning, destroying the buildings and machinery, and causing a loss of about $20,000. The article notes the insurance was expected to cover less than half of what it was estimated to cost to replace the machinery alone. Supplies and materials lost in the blaze included sugar, flour, syrups, mincemeat, malt, raisins, milk, lard and peaches. According to the article, an annex was built just days earlier to store more goods.
In 1930, a fire at an adjacent electric substation nearly destroyed the bakery again. However, a May 12 article in the News Journal noted, “Heroic work on the part of firemen saved the building and its contents.”
The bakery wasn’t so lucky in 1939. A May 10 article in the News Journal reports on the progress made on rebuilding the bakery, which had been destroyed by a fire four weeks earlier. The damage this time was estimated at about $50,000.
The bakery was sold to James F. Elliott in 1946. Elliott, of Cambridge, Mass., had operated bakeries in Ohio, Michigan and the New England states. He sold it a little over a year later and moved to Colorado. By 1954, the bakery was suffering financial troubles. A Jan. 13 article in the Wilmington Morning News reports on bankruptcy hearings that were underway. At the time, Stanley B. Levinson was the president and treasurer of the company.
After retiring, Anthony L. Hudson moved to Rehoboth Beach, where he ran for mayor in 1951, but withdrew from the race before the election against retired Rehoboth dairyman Robert D. Thompson. He died in 1957 at 81 years old. His brother Harry remained in Georgetown until his death at age 86 in 1960.
