STARR COMMONWEALTH 1952 CHRISTMAS STAMP

If you need a “last minute” Christmas gift, I have copies of my books at my house, or with me should you need one “right away.” Thank you for your support of this column by donating or supplying me with historical photographs and information in order to make these articles interesting week after week. My very best wishes to you and yours during this season.

In this era of economic distress, I was thinking to myself: What Albion can be thankful for? Included in the list would be a few things you probably haven’t thought about: We should be thankful that Albion still has a Secretary of State office in town where our area residents can do their business without having to drive into the 269 area code. Marshall lost their office last month to Battle Creek.

We should also be thankful that we have Amtrak passenger railroad service, once each way per day to Detroit and Chicago from an historic depot. Furthermore, our local railroad spur, the former Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad line, is still regularly used to haul sand to Guardian Industries. Finally, we should be thankful we still have a variety of financial institutions in town to choose from. Many banks have closed their out-of-town offices, but not here in Albion.

From our Historical Notebook this week, I went into my Starr Commonwealth file and pulled out another one of those beautiful Christmas stamps that Starr used to produce in the 1940s and 1950s. These were used like “Christmas seals,” and were affixed to the back of envelopes to remind people of our esteemed institution located two miles west of town.

This particular stamp is dated “Christmas 1952.” It depicts three Starr boys singing Christmas carols in front of the Chapel-in-the-Woods amidst a snowy wintry landscape. This colorful blue and brown stamp measures 2” x 1½”. The Chapel, of course, is a well-known landmark. Constructed in 1949-50, it has been the site of numerous church services, weddings and other programs throughout the years. It was dedicated on October 3, 1950. Merry Christmas, everyone.

	Frank Passic — Albion Historian An Albion native and 1971 graduate of Albion High School, Frank Passic has been researching and writing Albion history since 1976. He is the creator of the Albion Historical Notebook, with hundreds of articles appearing weekly in the Morning Star and The Recorder. Frank maintains an extensive personal archive including Riverside Cemetery records, family surname files, genealogies, photographs, city directories, and high school yearbooks. Support his 2026 research at the Historic Albion Michigan Facebook page. Historical Notebook \| From the Archives \| Subject List \| 100 Years Ago \| Alphabetical Index \| Frank Passic Home Page \| Albion History Books \| Contact Frank
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