FIRE STATION ONCE LOCATED ON SOUTH SIDE OF W. CASS ST.

Bravo! to our new Mayor, Joseph Domingo, for his positive leadership in taking action to ensure that flags will now fly all season long at the Veterans Memorial at Riverside Cemetery, not just between the two holidays of Memorial Day and the 4th of July. Now people who come to place flowers on gravesites in the spring and late summer will be reminded of our veterans in Albion by seeing the flags flying. This community asset bears the names of numerous Albion veterans on the brick deck. If you haven’t been there yet, I’d encourage you to visit the site this week and read the names. The VFW paid for the bricks containing the names of those from Albion who were killed in action during World War II and the Korean War. They line the perimeter of the deck.

Across the street from the Albion Department of Public Safety is a parking lot just east of Hungry Howies Pizza. This lot was once the site of the Albion Fire Department. A large building was once located here. It was originally used as a warehouse for the Gale Manufacturing Company until the Gale moved to N. Albion St. in 1888. The City of Albion purchased the building and it became the new fire house.

The fire station was in use until the new one opened in 1936. Have you ever noticed the bell that sits in front of City Hall to the left of the front steps? That was the bell which was once mounted on top of the old fire station across the street.

In later years, the old fire station was used for city storage, until it was demolished in July, 1958. From our Historical Notebook this week we present a 1917 photo showing the Albion Fire Department hose truck. In the front is driver Cyrus Earl Stark (notice the steering wheel is on the right of the vehicle), with fire chief Fred Griswold seated next to him. In the rear stand (left to right) firemen Ray Hess, and David Rosborough. How many of our readers remember the old fire station on the south side of W. Cass St.?

	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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