ALBION’S WORLD WAR I SOLDIERS VICTORY DAY

It was 100 years ago in 1919 that Albion staged a massive Victory Day for its World War I veterans who had returned from the service. Held on August 7, 1919, activities that day included a big parade, dinner, ball games, an airplane exhibition, fireworks, and other activities. Thousands of persons attended the festivities as Albion was decorated to honor its 300 World War I soldiers, sailors, marines, and others.

One of the events, called the "Victory Dinner," was held at 1 pm that afternoon at the Eagle Temple (later the Masonic Temple) on W. Canter St. Four hundred persons ate heartily at the meal which included fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet corn, pie, salted nuts, coffee, ice cream, and other items. The dinner was prepared by the Albion Federation of Women’s Clubs, and the food was served by the women of the Albion Red Cross.

Prior to the dinner, a panoramic photograph of Albion’s World War I veterans was taken in front of the Temple. This shows about 240 veterans posing in their uniforms, who apparently still fit in them. The photo includes Albion’s African-American veterans, who subsequently formed a black American Legion post here in 1930 called the Will Curtis Post No. 144 of the American Legion.

Unfortunately, no one thought to document identifications of those in the photograph by location. Yours truly was able to get a handful identified, and printed the entire photograph in sections, with those identifications in my 2009 book, "Albion in Review," pages 38-41. From our Historical Notebook this week we present just a portion of that photograph. This portion features Albion musician and theatre operator George Bohm in his Navy uniform in the back row, fifth person from the left. Also, notice the cook looking out of the window. How many of our readers have an ancestor who is posing in this photograph?

	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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