NEWBURG ROAD

Recently Division Drive (Erie) east of Albion was widened and repaved all the way to the Jackson County line. One of the improvements was the installation of a new road sign at Newburg Road. The Newburg Road was named after the Newburg Mills which once stood there along the nearby Kalamazoo River. Unfortunately, in the late 1950s the county began standardizing road names into numbered designations, and Newburg Road was re-named 29 ½ Mile Road. The recent restoration of its historical name is a welcome feature to those who know the history of the Newburg area.

In the summer of 1844, Marvin Hannahs (namesake of Hannah St in Albion) and a Mr. Johnson erected Newburg Mills on the east side of the road, on the north bank of the Kalamazoo River. The mill complex consisted of a dam and a very large structure. It contained a grist, flour, and saw mill. The iron used in its erection was made and furnished by an Albion blacksmith, Augustus P. Gardner. Newburg Mills became a major processing center for area farmers during much of the 19th century.

In the early 1890s the firm of Amsden & Campbell purchased the Mill in order to insure waterpower rights for the White Mill downstream on E. Cass St. The Newburg Mill was closed in the late 1890s and sat vacant for several years. Unfortunately, it burned on April 18, 1903, and soon only the dam and gates remained. Those too were later removed.

Newburg became an attractive site for Albion College students to stroll about, and for area young people to swim in the River. During the 1960s the Newburg Road bridge was replaced with large tubes under the roadway, which remain there today.

In October 1963, the Newburg area was "host" to a smoldering bog fire along Newburg and Erie/Division roads which smogged the Albion area for several days. Winds from the east pushed the stinky smog into town, which was very uncomfortable and caused many to have headaches.

From our Historical Notebook this week we present a photograph of the closed Newburg Mill shortly before it burned to the ground, as well as a photo of the new road sign. It is good to see the name Newburg Road restored to its rightful historical designation. Drive by and take a look at the sign yourself.

	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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