WASHINGTON GARDNER HIGH SCHOOL, Part 1

For your information, the U.S. Census Bureau has just begun testing for Census jobs here in the Albion and other areas for the big 2010 Census count next spring. If you'd be interested in a Census job, call 1-866-861-2010 for further information, and to reserve your seat at a local Census jobs test being held here in Albion. There is a practice test you can download on the www.2010censusjobs.gov website.

Since 1872, a school has sat on E. Michigan Avenue as a landmark where thousands of pupils have been educated and graduated. That may change. Recently it was announced that the historic Washington Gardner school may be closed due to various reasons. This school is older than you think—it was cobbled together in various stages. The oldest part dates back to 1885! During the next few weeks we'll review the history of this memorable facility.

In 1872, the Albion Common Schools erected a "Central School" building in the 400 block of E. Michigan Avenue. This first structure cost a total of $16, 826, including the property which was purchased for $2,500. Classes opened here in November, 1872, and included the high school.

In 1885, the Michigan State legislature granted the Albion district a special charter, and the name was legally changed to the Albion Public Schools. That same year, east and west wings were added to the Central School at a cost of $9,000. George W. Maher (a prominent Albion builder) was the contractor. The new wings meant that more space was available for curriculum expansion.

The capacity of both wings was doubled in 1893, by the construction of additions to the north ends of each wing. A central heating plant was also installed at the same time to replace the single large hot air furnace and a number of wood stoves in individual rooms.

Today, if you look in back of Washington Gardner, you'll see what is left of the original west wing, erected in 1885 and 1893. The top floor has been removed. Many of our readers will remember it as the band room behind the auditorium. From our Historical Notebook we present a photograph of the original Central School, with the 1885/1893-built east and west wings on the side. It was on this site that Washington Gardner High School eventually came into being.

	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
	Michigan Prints by Maggie LaNoue Michigan Prints offers limited-edition archival Giclée prints, miniprints, notecards and boxed sets featuring Michigan landmarks, nature, resorts and nostalgia. Each print and card includes a legend on the back with stories about Michigan history. Albion scenes include the Kalamazoo River waterfall and the Blizzard of 1978. Find Michigan Prints online and at local shops. Michigan Prints \| Albion Scenes \| Custom Cards \| Zazzle Gifts
	AlbionMich.net — General Guide to Albion AlbionMich.net is a hub for community life in the greater Albion area, featuring current news, city council updates, river restoration stories, parks and trails. See Albion's beautiful Kalamazoo River waterfall as it looks today — and follow the story of its future restoration. Includes news from The Recorder and stories about Albion's 17 parks. AlbionMich.net \| Albion Blog \| Frank Passic on AlbionMich.net
	General Guide to Albion AlbionMich.net offers two General Guides to the Albion area — one covering community life including city council, veterans, history, youth and wellness resources, and one covering the outdoors including roads, rivers, parks, trails and downtown. Both guides feature stories by local writers including contributors to The Recorder, sorted by topic for easy reference. General Guide — Community \| General Guide — Outdoors
	Robin James — Indices Unlimited Robin James is the editor of the Albion Historical Notebook and has kept Frank Passic's thousands of articles organized and searchable for decades. A trained librarian and archivist, Robin specializes in back-of-book and online indexing, multimedia collection management, and corporate information distribution. He also enjoys strange music and is a contributing editor for Igloo electronic music magazine. For more about his indexing services, visit Indices Unlimited.
AlbionDesign.com — Communications Specialists Since 1981 \| Advertise on AlbionMich.com