This year marks the 150th anniversary of the 1873 erection of the first St. John’s Catholic Church building here in Albion. It’s not too often that a milestone like this is achieved in our town. We congratulate them and know that the September 24 celebration from noon to 4 pm. will be a gala event. Make plans to attend if you can. Here is a history of the church, written in 1932 by Fr. Joseph V. Coyle in the Milestones and Memories book, page 133. Enjoy!

This coming Saturday September 16 yours truly will operate my Albion history booth at the Festival of the Forks in front of the former City Bank & Trust Company building. Be sure and stop by and see what I’ve got! There will be Albion High School yearbooks, Albion city directories, and other materials available. I’ll see you there!

Last week in this column we featured the history of the original union at the Albion Malleable Iron Company. This week we are presenting an early history of the union at Union Steel Products, another major Albion employer at one time. This was written in 1942. Enjoy!

Many of the lifelong habits children develop originate at home, and protecting the environment is no exception. Kids learn best by modeling the behaviors of the grownups in their lives, so leading by example and involving kids in your own sustainable habits is a simple way to start good habits young. If you’re looking for ways to make sustainability a bigger priority for your household and family, consider these environmentally friendly ideas.

If you’re looking for a cost-effective way to dress up a room in your home, crown molding can be a simple way to add elegance and class with minimal investment. This step-by-step guide can show you how to create a striking design element in your home.

As we celebrate the upcoming Labor Day in a week, we are reminded of the long struggles in the 1930s which resulted in our local factories becoming unionized.

We continue with our theme of “Albion, 100 Years Ago.” August 3, 1923: “The National Savings Investment Company, an organization in which influential colored citizens of the state are interested, will open a branch office in Albion at 113 W. Porter St.”

Continuing from last week, the article concluded: “While in this city posing as capitalists, Mr. Mindeman boarded with Mr. and Mrs. Lacey and he still owes a bill there of $39 for board. There is also a rumor that he will be asked to explain the absence of a gold watch which was taken from the Lacey home.

In the late 1890s, interested investors in southern Michigan made plans for the construction of a "northwest railroad," running from Albion, northwards to past Duck Lake, then to Charlotte in Eaton County. The right-of-way was acquired and the bed was prepared, ready for the rails to be laid. There are still faint traces of the right-of-way today at various points. Announcements were made in 1898 and subsequent years that funding had been obtained, and that the railroad would "soon be built" as a regular steam locomotive line. The rails were never laid, however, but with the bed already having...

If you’re out-and-about traveling across the country this summer, you might want to visit the National Orphan Train Complex at 300 Washington St. in Concordia, Kansas, located 125 miles north of Wichita along U.S. 81. A statue of two of Albion’s 1857 arriving “Orphan Train” boys, George (1849-1921) and Joseph (1850-1931) Timmons was unveiled there on June 2 in their memory.

We continue with our theme of “Albion, 100 Years Ago.” A reminder: The dates given here are the dates that the topic was published in the Albion Evening Recorder and not necessarily the date that the event happened. July 3, 1923: “Springport, MI. John Banister, a prominent farmer, was killed by lightning at his farm near here Monday afternoon. Mr. Bannister was cutting hay in a field when the storm came up.

It is great that Albion has its own fireworks each year, thanks to the donations of our area citizens, and the leadership of the Greater Albion Chamber of Commerce. This is not a new phenomenon, however. In the 1920s when the Chamber was in its infancy, they organized community celebrations too.

I was sorry to learn that the recently closed Albion Road bridge in Concord Township will take three to five years to replace due to a lack of funds. That bridge is located on the main throughfare between Albion and Concord and is heavily used.

Occasionally I like to feature an Albion collectible item in my column. I recently acquired a patent medicine bottle from the J. W. Brant Company of Albion, a late 19th and early 20th century patent medicine manufacturer. The J.W. Brant Company was located at 214 E. Mulberry St., on the southwest corner of Monroe and Mulberry for over fifty years. The firm had come to Albion from Hillsdale in the late 1880s, and was incorporated in 1889.

We continue with our theme of “Albion—100 Years Ago.” June 5, 1923. “The tar from the local gas plant placed recently on Irwin Avenue from Dalrymple St. to the residence of John Finley, and on W. Erie St. westward from the end of the pavement, is making a good hard roadway and keeping down the dust