1993 BRICK STREET POSTCARD

We've got another positive identification for one of the unidentified 50th wedding anniversary couples from the 1950s. The couple in the July 1, 2012 edition of this column has been identified as Bernhard "Ben" (1883-1958) and Bertha (Bunday) (1886-1969) Kabel, of 1106 N. Eaton St. The Kabels were married in Albion on April 17, 1907, making this a 1957 photograph. Ben worked at the Albion Malleable Iron Company for many years, as did his brother Ernest. Special thanks to Jean Torrey for identifying this couple and reporting it to us.

We were shocked to learn of the sudden death of our local chiropractor Dr. Kirk Lee. He was an asset to our community and was tops in his field of specialty. Albion was fortunate to have had him here for so many years. He will truly be missed.

It is good to see repairs being made to our brick Superior St. in downtown Albion. Back in 1993 when the bricks were laid, it was a massive undertaking. The Greater Albion Chamber of Commerce worked with merchants to help make the disruptions that summer as painless as possible. A theme was chosen, aptly named "Paving the Way for a Superior Future." A logo was designed, and small signs with the logo were placed with building numbers on the rear of downtown buildings. This was because many customers had to use the rear entrances to access some merchants. Some signs are still there today.

Our local U.S. Post Office even came out with a special collector's postcard featuring a cancellation using the brick street logo. These were produced in limited supply. From our Historical Notebook this week we present a photograph of that postcard, then costing 19 cents. The cancellation reads "May 15, 1993. Albion Stamp Show Sta. [meaning Station] Albion MI 49224. Albion Paving the Way for a Superior Future." How many of our readers remember this collector's item and purchased one?

	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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