THE BLACK DITCH Morning Star, July 11, 2025, pg. 5 The current reconstruction of S. Eaton St. in the environs of yours truly reminded me of the storm drainage problems at the corner of S. Eaton and W. Oak Streets that are being resolved as part of the project. This is where the so-called "Black Ditch" sewer/storm line crosses Eaton St. and continues onwards across the former Dalrymple School property. Storm water has frequently flooded the street at this point due to elevation problems with the new curb and storm drains which were improperly leveled in 1974 when the street was reconstructed. In addition, the sewer line going across S. Eaton St. was recently found to be leaking, which accounted for the "dip" in the street elevation at this intersection. Fortunately it has just been replaced. The Ditch was a small open stream located in a lowland swampy area running through the southwestern portion of our community in a northwest direction beginning at the Kalamazoo River millpond behind River St. It crossed S. Eaton St. then moved through the Charles Dalrymple property, the future site of Dalrymple School. The Black Ditch was so-named due to the rich, black soil found in the area. The mosquito-breeding Ditch was described in 1911 as a "trough of muck and slime which has contained stagnant water in the hot months of the year and breeds millions of germs every summer." The Black Ditch was utilized during the great Flood of 1908, when dynamite was used to try and free the ice jam in the millpond. The black ditch was used as a type of water pressure safety valve by diverting water through the ditch, and thus supposedly reducing the volume of water raging through the city. In 1912, City of Albion undertook the most massive sewer project in its history up to that time, and installed over a mile of 12-inch, 24-inch, and 30 -inch tile storm and sanitary sewer pipe over the route of the Black Ditch. The cost of the project was $8,000, and was installed under the direction of our local sewer commissioner, William J. Porr (1856-1938). How would you like to have a title of sewer commissioner in your resume? The project was financed by private assessments of properties along the route that were serviced by the line. This amounted to 586 property owners. The pipe was laid 10 feet underground. Workers had to dig through several inches of sandstone with pick axes, as blasting would have caused cave-ins. The project served a dual purpose. It provided much needed drainage for the area which was immediately evident when the line was placed into service. It also provided modern sanitary sewer service to area residents, thus dooming the numerous outhouses which once dotted the landscape. The storm sewer was placed directly above the sanitary sewer. The Black Ditch only appears on the 1871 map of Albion. From our Historical Notebook this week we present that map, with a few identifying street names added by yours truly. Here we see that the Ditch flowed through land owned by Samuel V. Irwin, Champion and James Eslow, and Silas Finley. How many of our readers have ever heard of the Black Ditch? 1871 Map of Albion Next: LIME LAKE HISTORY, Part 1. 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. Michigan Prints  |  Albion Scenes  |  Custom Cards  |  Zazzle Gifts AlbionMich.net — General Guide to Albion AlbionMich.net is a hub for community life in the greater Albion area, featuring current news, city council updates, river restoration stories, parks and trails. See Albion's beautiful Kalamazoo River waterfall as it looks today — and follow the story of its future restoration. Includes news from The Recorder and stories about Albion's 17 parks. AlbionMich.net  |  Albion Blog  |  Frank Passic on AlbionMich.net General Guide to Albion AlbionMich.net offers two General Guides to the Albion area — one covering community life including city council, veterans, history, youth and wellness resources, and one covering the outdoors including roads, rivers, parks, trails and downtown. Both guides feature stories by local writers including contributors to The Recorder, sorted by topic for easy reference. General Guide — Community  |  General Guide — Outdoors Robin James — Indices Unlimited Robin James is the editor of the Albion Historical Notebook and has kept Frank Passic's thousands of articles organized and searchable for decades. A trained librarian and archivist, Robin specializes in back-of-book and online indexing, multimedia collection management, and corporate information distribution. He also enjoys strange music and is a contributing editor for Igloo electronic music magazine. For more about his indexing services, visit Indices Unlimited. AlbionDesign.com — Communications Specialists Since 1981  |  Advertise on AlbionMich.com