WEST WARD SCHOOL Morning Star, June 20, 1990 West Ward School was located on N. Albion St. across from Gale Manufacturing Company, in what today is Holland Park. It was constructed in the summer of 1873 to accommodate the growing number of children whose fathers worked at the Gale. Many were of German ancestry. Furthermore, the Albion Malleable Iron Company moved into the vicinity in the late 1890’s, and this brought more children to the area. By 1917, several Black families had been recruited by the Malleable, and their numbers soon increased as others arrived. Black students were at first sent to the “Colored Church” at the corner of W. Cass and Culiver Streets in the fall of 1917, instead of the West Ward where they normally would go. Classes were held at the church for black students during the fall of 1917. Dalrymple School opened for business on January 2, 1918 after a two-year period of construction and all the white pupils and teachers from West Ward School were transferred to the new modern facilities. The black pupils at the church were placed in the West Ward School, and it became an all-black facility. The segregation which existed in the school system at the time, especially at West Ward School, fostered years of racial tension, which came to a head in 1953, when parents boycotted the school with a “stay away.” The boycott was successful, and the segregated West Ward School was closed. One of the men who fought to have the school closed was Robert Holland, Sr., after whom Holland Park was named on the very site. West Ward School was demolished in March, 1958, and the land was sold to the city of Albion in 1969 for one dollar for development into a park. From the archives this week we present a photograph of West Ward School as it appeared in 1958, boarded up and ready to be demolished. Incidentally, in recent years we have seen the school referred to as “Westward”, as in “Westwood Mall.” This is incorrect. It is two words. In the late 19th century, Albion operated on the Ward system, and elected Alderman rather than councilman. The Albion Public Schools used the designations when erecting the neighborhood elementary schools: East Ward, South Ward, North Ward, and West Ward. All two words. West Ward School More about the WEST WARD SCHOOL Next: JOURNAL OF ALBION Back to the Top of this Page All text copyright, 2026 © all rights reserved Frank Passic  |  Artwork copyright Maggie LaNoue © 2026 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 Michigan Prints by Maggie LaNoue Michigan Prints offers limited-edition archival Giclée prints, miniprints, notecards and boxed sets featuring Michigan landmarks, nature, resorts and nostalgia. Each print and card includes a legend on the back with stories about Michigan history. Albion scenes include the Kalamazoo River waterfall and the Blizzard of 1978. Find Michigan Prints online and at local shops. 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