HADLEY H. SHELDON, DRUGGIST

Occasionally we like to feature a collectible item here in this column, such as a bottle or token. Recently a druggist's prescription bottle surfaced which was produced by a prominent early 20th century Albion pharmacist: Hadley Hugh Sheldon (1865-1963). Sheldon operated his drug store here from 1897 to 1918 in the Albion Opera House building, first floor, south side at 223 S. Superior St. You can still read the restored "H.H. SHELDON - DRUGS, PAINT, WALLPAPER" sign painted on the back of the building today.

Druggist Sheldon was very active in the Albion community. He served on the Albion School Board from 1918 to 1923, and was instrumental in bringing Donald Harrington here in 1919 to serve as Superintendent. He also served on the Albion City Council in the early 1920s. As owner of the Opera House upstairs, he continued to allow theatrical performances and public events to continue in the facility, until being forced to close in the 1920s due to fire regulations.

After his retirement, Sheldon remained in Albion with his wife Helen (1866-1953); the couple celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary in October, 1952. The Sheldon's made their home at 405 E. Erie St. Hadley died there in 1963 at the ripe old age of 97 and was interred in Riverside Cemetery.

From our Historical Notebook this week we present a photograph of Hadley H. Sheldon, and his prescription glass bottle. It measures about 5.5 inches tall, 2 inches wide, and about 1.25 inches volume thick. The text molded into one side of the glass states, "H.H. SHELDON Prescription Druggist, ALBION, MICH." On the bottom of the bottle is the manufacturer's name, "A M F & CO," with the numerals "54" in the center. This was manufactured by the Adelbert M. Foster & Company of Chicago. The "54" is the company's mold number used for this particular bottle run. Bottles like this are fun to collect as mementoes of Albion history. How many of our readers have old bottles like this with local names molded or painted in them?

	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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