Wester-Souburg

The connection of a small town in Hudson, Ohio, to one in Wester-Souburg, Holland, began with a bell. In the summer of 1944, a crack was discovered in a bell that hung in the Western Reserve Academy chapel. The decision was made to replace it with the bell at Evamere Hall, once owned by James Ellsworth (1849-1925). A Latin inscription on the bell revealed it to be cast in 1611 from a foundry in Wester-Souburg. 

During World War II, the Wester-Souburg area was under Nazi occupation. The allies bombed the areas around the village to drive out the German forces. Wester-Souburg suffered a major flood after Allies had bombed the dikes surrounding the town. Because of the bell’s connection to Hudson, Helen Kitzmiller (1888-1955), Western Reserve Academy historian and Harrison Kitzmiller (1888-1978), a German teacher at WRA, organized an effort in Hudson to send aid to the area. Blankets, rubber boots, and clothing were sent to Souburg well into 1945. 

After the war, the area still had not recovered; Much of the village was still destroyed, and affected by the flooding. To help, Hudsonites established “Wester-Souburg Day” on March 20, 1948. The event, featuring a clothing drive, a tea and bazaar, a performance by the Hudson Players, and a dinner with a 60 lb. Cake, raised $1500 WRA even created a play about the story of the Souburg bell broadcast on Ohio Radio Stations on April 19, 1950, featuring. Headmaster Hayden as part of the cast. 

In 1955, Helen and Harrison Kitzmiller traveled to Wester-Souburg to receive award on behalf of Hudson from the West-Souburg mayor. A street Hudsonstraat, named after Hudson, honors the humanitarian effort and generosity of Hudson’s residents.  

Images from the Collection