THE 1899 REPUBLICAN CLUB BUSINESS MEETING AND BANQUET

On Thursday, March 23, 1899, Albion hosted the Calhoun County Republican Club on the occasion of their first anniversary. The event began with a business meeting held in the Opera House at 4 o’clock in the afternoon. At that meeting the club elected its officers for the coming year.

Three hours later at 7 pm. the participants (200 in all) assembled in Jacob’s Hall for an elaborate chicken pie supper, with the meal being furnished by the ladies of the local Methodist Church on E. Erie St. Dinner music was provided by the orchestra of the First Presbyterian Church. During those times, the First Presbyterian orchestra was a prominent musical group in our community.

At 9 o’clock that evening, it was back to the Opera House for a public meeting which featured various speakers from across the state. Numerous candidates for local, township, village and city offices across the county were in attendance. Chairman of the event was E.C. Hinman of Battle Creek. The first speaker was the Hon. Perry Powers of Cadillac who spoke on the subject of "Political Issues of 1900." Two other speakers followed. A highlight of the evening however, was a letter read at the meeting written by the Hon. Washington Gardner of Albion, our Congressman. He was unable to attend the meeting because of previous scheduling commitments made before the event. Gardner noted that in 1898 "Calhoun County was brought back into the Republican column," and "the third Congressional District resumed her old place in line with the Republican national administration." It is ironic that here in 2013 Albion is once again part of the 3rd Congressional District, as it was over 110 years ago.

Our focus this week however, is a souvenir pin button issued for the event. It measures 1 ½ inches diameter. An elaborate colorful red-white-blue draped flag appears on the left and upper portion of the button. The text states, "Souvenir. Calhoun County Republican Club Albion, Mich. March 23, ’99." The back of the button reveals that this was manufactured by the Whitehead & Hoag Company of Newark, New Jersey.

	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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