North Bay Fishing Shanties

The shantytown in Hudson. Photo taken June 12, 2020.

Also known as the "Furgary Fishing Village" or "Shantytown," the fishing village on the southern edge of North Bay in Hudson, NY dates back to the late 19th century. Most of the fishing shacks that remain there now were built between 1930 and 1960. 

The other week we went up to interview Leo Bowen, who grew up fishing and smoking shad and herring with his father and has been instrumental in helping to prevent the fishing village from destruction.

One of the few remaining places on the Hudson River waterfront that illustrate the history of the working Hudson, Leo and other folks in Hudson are trying to restore some of the shacks. 

We're working on a film of the Shantytown, but thought we would share some of the photos we took while we were there. 

Lots has been written about the fishing village and shantytown in recent years. Here's a compilation of some of the articles where you can learn more about the village and the attempts to save it:

“Six Things to Know about Hudson's North Bay Shacks” Hudson River Zeitgeist, July 31, 2015

“Tales from Hudson’s Shantytown” The Other Hudson Valley, June 7, 2017

“A Visit to the Furgary” The Gossips of Rivertown, July 8, 2017

“Preserving a Cluster of Fishing Shacks from Hudson’s ‘Forgotten’ Past” New York Times, October 31, 2017

“Saving a Shantytown? In old fishing shacks, links to Hudson’s past and an unclear future” Hill Country Observer, May 2018

“Furgary Boat Club & Shantytown” A Secret History of American River People, 2018

One of the things Leo talked about when we visited was his fond memories of "Nacky," also known as Everett Nack. 

Nack was a commerical fisherman, unlike many of the men who lived at the fishing village, who fished primarily for themselves or their friends and families. The Hudson River Maritime Museum is lucky to have many oral histories of Hudson River commercial fisher men, including one in which Everett Nack was interviewed in the 1980s. We have digitized these oral histories and have posted some of them online at New York Heritage - a digital repository for historical organizations and libraries throughout New York State. 

Listen to Everett Nack