SPANISH INFLUENZA GRIPPED ALBION IN 1918

The current concerns about the H1N1 Swine Flu virus reminds us of other epidemics in Albion's history. During the late 19th century, it was smallpox that turned deadly, and several Albion persons died of that disease.

The major epidemic, of course, was the Spanish influenza of 1918-1919. This was a dreaded illness that occurred before antibiotics were invented. This flu took the lives of many persons in the Albion area. It cut across neighborhoods, races, educational, and economic lines.

By October, 1918, there were reported at least 300 cases in town reported, with three deaths. The epidemic was so severe that the Albion Public Schools was closed for eight weeks during the winter of the 1918-1919 school year. Classes were extended two weeks into the summer as a result.

In October, 1918, the local board of health decreed that every non-essential public meeting was prohibited in an effort to stamp out the Spanish influenza. That action included the public schools, churches, theatres, conventions, fraternal societies, dances. Even Albion College complied with the order and no classes were held there for a time.

One local victim of the Spanish influenza was Rev. Andrew J. Leggett (1869-1919), who passed away on February 8, 1919 at the age of 50. A native of Peach Tree, Alabama, Leggett was among the first blacks who were recruited from the South in late 1916 to work at the Albion Malleable Iron Company. Rev. Leggett was in the ministry for 25 years, and the local Leggett Chapel AME Zion Church still bears his name today. From our Historical Notebook this week we present a photograph of Rev. Andrew J. Leggett.

Have you gotten your H1N1 flu shot? The shots are now being given to the general public.

	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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