DUTCHTOWN, Part 4

Again a friendly reminder that if your Albion High School class is having a reunion this year, be sure and have copies of my pictorial books "Albion in Review" and "Growing Up in Albion" at your event. Contact me for more information.

We continue this week with some more tidbits about the Dutchtown swimming area, which was in existence through the 1957 season.

There used to be a bathhouse and concession stand at the Dutchtown swimming area. It had been erected in July of 1915 as a "Municipal Bath House" under the direction of Irish immigrant Patrick Fanning (1838-1924). Fanning had worked for the Michigan Central Railroad for many years and retired in 1912. He was placed in charge of the Dutchtown summer activities.

The bath house at Dutchtown was a landmark for many years. One wall abutted the raised sidewalk on S. Hannah St. When Dutchtown closed at the end of the 1957 season, the bath house stood for just two more years, until it was demolished in 1959.

A picture of the bathhouse at Dutchtown is hard to find. But from our Historical Notebook this week we present a rare photo of it (courtesy of Ruth Dean) from 1959 just before it was demolished. Standing in front of the doomed structure is Jim Dean and his cousin Cherie Young. How many of our readers remember the Dutchtown bath house?

	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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