STREET LIGHTS INSTALLED 100 YEAR AGO

With the reconstruction of Albion’s downtown sidewalks this year, we are reminded that Superior St. has undergone several major projects over the past century. It was 100 years ago on December 1, 1913 that Albion’s new downtown ornamental "boulevard" style street lights were turned on for the first time. The lights had been installed from the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad tracks on the north, south to Ash St. There were 42 poles installed, and each pole contained three lights containing a 60 watt bulb. Each light was contained in a decorative globe.

The project was installed by the Commonwealth Power Company, headed by R.E. Richardson. Five alley lights were also installed. One hundred years later, these light fixtures are all gone, except for two of them which still grace the front of the old Eagle Temple/Masonic Lodge building on W. Center St. today.

The lights were turned on for the first time during the evening of the big Eagle Fair celebration, in which members of the local Eagle lodge marched from their old location at 410 ½ S. Superior St. to the newly built Eagle Temple at 204 W. Center St.

From our Historical notebook this week we present an unusual photo. It is a nighttime postcard photo of downtown Albion showing the new street lights, and that’s all it shows. It is entitled, "Main St. at Night." The view is taken from the intersection of Superior and Erie Sts. looking north. You can’t tell that however because this card is entirely dark except for the "dots" of the new street lights which outline the boundaries of the street. This card was originally supposed have been in my latest book about Albion postcards, but the printer rejected it as being too low of a quality. I thought it was a novel photographic approach however. I wonder how many of these cards the photographer Walter Grant sold? This is the only one that I’ve encountered.

	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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