MOUNTEER'S BAKERY A PROMINENT BUSINESS

You may have noticed that there are intentions to bring a bakery back to Albion as part of the Peabody Block project. The Peabody Block was once the home of Albion's most prominent bakery from 1899 to 1934.

Edwin M. Mounteer (1871-1942) cane to Albion in 1899 from his native Canada, and opened his bakery at 400 S. Superior St. It was a "full service"bakery where cakes were decorated and made-to-order. He also sold confectionary items at his establishment. Many of Albion's early 20th century banquets, weddings, and parties had their cakes made at Mounteer's Sanitary Bakery,"as it was called. His bakery products were well-known all over southern Michigan.

His business grew so much, that Edwin had to move the bakery equipment to two storefronts, 408-410 S. Superior St. for use as bake rooms, and use the original 400 address for just the retail part of the business. In March 1912, Mounteer held an "open house"at the 408-410 baking location, attracting 1,500 persons. The purpose was to show the public the sanitary conditions of the bakery, and the new machinery used in mixing and baking the dough.

In January, 1919, Edwin took in his son Carl (1896-1968) as a partner in the firm. Carl had just returned from service in World War I. Edwin was very active in Albion and served as a director of the Commercial & Savings Bank, was a member of the Albion Chamber of Commerce, the Boosters and Knockers Club, and other organizations.

The bakery continued into the Great Depression of the 1930s, closing in December, 1934 on account of the failing health of Mr. Mounteer. Edwin Mounteer died at his home at 110 W. Erie St. in September, 1942, and was interred in Riverside Cemetery.

From our Historical Notebook this week we present a photograph of Mr. Mounteer, and also an early 20th century photo of employees at the bakery standing in back along a ramp. The man on the right with the straw hat is the "head baker,"Charles Walton. Special thanks to Courtney Denning for supplying this photograph to us.

	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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