SAMUEL V. IRWIN

Irwin owned considerable land in the southwest portion of the city where he operated a fruit tree farm. An 1876 advertisement stated, "The undersigned has for delivery more than 50,000 apple and pear trees grown upon his farm in the Village of Albion." His home was at 103 Irwin Ave., and is still standing today. In 1883, the Albion Village Council changed the name of Homer Road to Irwin Avenue in his honor. In politics, he was a staunch Republican. An 1897 article stated, "Mr. S. V. Irwin in his lifetime was recognized throughout the state as one of the political war horses of the Republican Party."

Irwin was active in community affairs and served on the first board of education of the new Union Schools of Albion in 1867. He was appointed to the board of Albion College in 1866 by the Governor of Michigan. He was also an officer of the Albion Fair Ground Association at its incorporation in 1886. He was a member of the St. James Episcopal Church and served as a Vestryman from 1857 to 1885. Irwin was one of the original stockholders of the Albion Malleable Iron Company in 1889. He also was a partner in the flour mill of Knickerbocker & Irwin, formerly the Jesse Crowell Stone Mill.

Following his death on February 13, 1890, his farmland was subdivided and platted into residential areas, such as Crandall St., Mechanic St., Adams St., Lincoln St., and others. His son, Frank L. Irwin (1863-1947), who served as Albion's postmaster from 1898 to 1910, was in charge of selling off the land. The Irwin home subsequently became the home of Albion merchant George Bullen, and during the 1920s it was the Sheldon Hospital nurses' home.

Until two years ago, there was no known photograph of this prominent Albion citizen. Fortunately, one turned up at an antique store in Ohio and was acquired by yours truly. The writing on the back indicates it was from the estate of Irwin's last descendant, granddaughter Genevieve Irwin (Fisher) Gunnison (1878-1972) who died in Jackson County and is buried in Riverside Cemetery in Albion. From our Historical Notebook this week we present that photograph of the namesake of Irwin Avenue in Albion, Samuel V. Irwin. If you live along Irwin Avenue in Albion, this is whom your street is named after. How many of our readers live on Irwin Avenue in Albion?

	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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