MURDOCK BLOCK ON ERIE STREET IS FILLED WITH HISTORYHistorical Albion Michigan

Certain buildings in downtown Albion are known not just for their size, design or various businesses which many have been located there, but also for particular events which occurred on the premises. Such is the case with the Murdock Block, an impressive building located at 106 E. Erie St., presently the Sleep Shop.

Gilson E. Murdock (1835-1910) was a prominent farm implement dealer, and his wife, Sarah (Huxford) (1837-1919) was the daughter of Samuel Huxford (1807-1891), a wealthy Albion pioneer who dealt in loans and mortgages.

Mr. Murdock constructed his implement business at 106 E. Erie St. and lived upstairs with his wife in an elegant apartment. It was here that Mrs. Murdock’s diamonds and jewelry, valued at $2,050 at the time, were stolen in 1907. The story is this:

The Murdocks had invested several thousands of dollars in the ill-fated Albion to Charlotte railroad project. Promoters of the proposed electric interurban road was George Mindeman from Chicago, who used the Murdock home as his promotional headquarters. In Mach 1907, Mrs. Murdock discovered that her jewelry was missing shortly after showing it to Mr. Mindeman and an accomplice. Knowing of the pending charges, Mindeman fled to Chicago and had to be extradited. Mindeman was described as a smooth talker, typical of railroad promoters of that day.

Mindeman was tried and found guilty, but on a technicality the Michigan Supreme Court reversed the decision and the case had to be tried again. This time Mindeman was found innocent by a jury in September, 1909. The local Albion Leader newspaper commented at that time: “It is believed by some persons that the prison has been cheated of its desserts through a failure to establish the man’s guilt, rather than because he was innocent of the crime charged.”

In glee of his innocence, Mindeman issued a 29 mm. diameter aluminum token with the text, “GEO. MINDEMAN ALBION MICH. WHAT IS HIS RECORD GOOD OR BAD?” The back side of the token states, “I SAY IT IS GOOD!” This week we present photographs of the Murdocks, and the Mindeman token. When you drive by the Sleep Shop, be aware that it was on the second floor that Mrs. Murdock’s diamonds were stolen in 1907, resulting in one of the most publicized local court cases of the early 20th century.

	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