The small town of Albion is located about 47 minutes east of Kalamazoo with a population of approximately 7,700.
The earliest settlers called the area The Forks because it is where the north and south branches of the Kalamazoo River meet. The first European American settlers arrived in 1833 and quickly established Albion College in 1835.
Albion College is still an important part of the Albion area, with an enrollment of 1500. The campus has the look and feel of east coast colleges.
Albion became a city in 1885 and continued to grow until the Great Flood of 1908 almost wiped out the town.
The Malleable Iron Company became a major employer, building farm equipment and later auto parts. The very good brewery in town-the Albion Malleable Brewing Company is named after the former company. I had several locals tell me about the great beer and food at the brewery. I didn’t have time for lunch but stopped into the brewery on Main St., across from the library, and was very impressed. I am looking forward to going back soon.
In the 1970’s, most of major factories closed and the town started to see a slow decline in population.
I hadn’t been through downtown Albion in several years and was very impressed to find several interesting downtown businesses.
Dickerson Music has been in Albion since 1955. Kelly Kidder has worked at Dickerson for over 30 years and purchased the business along with his wife Ramona in 2015. Kelly and I had a great talk as he showed me his large selection of guitars and other instruments. He is a great advocate for downtown Albion.
In passing through Albion about 25 years ago, I stopped into a bookstore and met owner Mary Hunt, author of Hunts Highlights of Michigan, my go-to guidebook for traveling in Michigan. She took me to Charlie’s Tavern for a delicious burger. Charlie’s is still there and has not changed a bit. It could be a setting for a 1950’s movie.
The bookstore evolved into Stirling Books and Brew and has a wonderful selection of new and used books, coffee, teas and baked goods. Owner Jim Stuart gave me a tour of the store and pointed out other local attractions.
My love of donuts led me to Foundry Bakehouse and Deli that offered a wide selection of donuts. I had a hard time choosing and finally decided on a yummy sweet roll.
Downtown Albion’s most famous landmark is a giant Coke mural that was originally painted in 1912. The large wall mural is called a “spectacular,” because Coca-Cola’s advertising original strategy was to create the same look as the “circus coming to town,” posters that appeared all over the country. The community raised $100,000 to restore the mural and it was dedicated in a large ceremony in 2021.
The Bohm Theatre opened in1929. It was a grand theater with a Barton Theme organ to accompany the silent films of the time. There are stories of Detroit’s infamous “Purple Gang” using the theater as a meeting place for negotiations between Detroit and Chicago mobsters. The theater gradually fell into disrepair and closed in 2008. A local organization took over the theater and funds were raised to restore it to its original splendor in 2014.
I love history and enjoyed my time in Albion, walking Main Street and driving through the old Albion neighborhoods and admiring the gorgeous houses. The Kalamazoo River, winding through town with its stone and cement walls, adds an interesting back drop to this classic Michigan town.
Albion, I will be back soon!
