FORMER BANK BUILDING WAS JESSE CROWELL MILL

Recently Albion College announced that the building they now own at 207 S. Superior St will become the home of the Albion College Community Collaborative. Renovation will begin soon, and the building will be open to the public this fall. Please see recent news announcements for details about this collaborative.

This building was erected in 1845 by Jesse Crowell (1797-1872) "Albion’s Greatest Benefactor," whose "Albion Company" laid the plat for Albion in 1836 and donated the land for Albion College. Crowell also was Albion’s first postmaster. Called the Stone Mill, construction of this 4-story building began in 1845, and the massive stones you see today were obtained from a quarry on the west side of Newburg Road east of town, later known as the Murdock farm.

The mill ceased operations in the early 1910s, and was sold in 1916 to the Commercial and Savings Bank. In that year the bank renovated the building into its new headquarters. The top 4th floor of the structure was removed, and a textured red brick addition was built onto the back to allow for more space for the banking needs of those times. The bank moved from its original location at the corner of E. Erie and S. Superior Streets, and opened at its new 207 S. Superior St. location on January 1, 1917.

During the renovation process in 1916, the original datestone stating "ALBION MILLS 1845" that had stood above the front doorway was removed. A new date, "1916" was sculpted into the modern design above the doorway and remains there today. The Albion Mills datestone was moved to the newly designated Crowell Park on N. Superior St. near the water standpipe, where it remains today in front of our water tower.

During the time this building served as a bank, it was known as the Commercial & Savings Bank; next, City Bank and Trust Company; next, Citizen’s Bank; next, First Merit Bank, and finally, Huntington Bank which closed on January 8, 2019. The time-temperature sign out front was a landmark for many years and has been greatly missed.

From our Historical Notebook this week we present a photograph of the Albion Mills 1845 datestone as it sits today in Crowell Park. It is easily seen when you are driving past it on N. Superior St. by the water tower. How many of our readers have stopped to walk in Crowell Park?

	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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