HARRINGTON SCHOOL OPENED IN 1957

It was heartening to learn that Harrington Elementary School will be reopened by our Marshall School District this fall. Many people in Albion have fond memories of their early years at this school at 101 N. Clark St., which was built on the site of the old Albion City Dump. Harrington Elementary School was the last of the schools to be erected during the 1950s as the "baby boomer" generation crowded our school system. Washington Gardner High School was filled to capacity in the 1950s, and elementary students on the east side of the city went to the Gardner Grade School in the east wing of the building.

The land upon which Harrington sits was annexed to the City of Albion, as well as a strip of land purchased from the Bushong family, now the site of the school bus lot. On January 25, 1956, the City Bank & Trust Company purchased $600,000 in bonds payable at 2.26% interest to finance the new school building. On June 19, 1956, the Albion school board awarded the construction contract to Miller-Davis Company of Kalamazoo, and work began shortly thereafter. Total cost of the project was $680,000.

Harrington School was named in honor of retired Albion Superintendent Donald Harrington (1874-1961) who had served as superintendent of the Albion Public Schools from 1919 to 1939. Classes opened at Harrington on September 5, 1957. The first principal was Deo Galbraith, who served in that position for four years. He was followed by Donald E. Reiman (1930-1988) who served as principal from 1961 until 1986—a total of 25 years.

The ceremonial cornerstone laying ceremony for Harrington School occurred on October 10, 1956. From our Historical Notebook this week we present a photograph of the local school board members and the Harringtons at that event. From left to right: Superintendent George Walkotten, George Matthews, C. Reginald Smith, John Schuring, Harriet Harrington, Otis Myers, Mary Felisky, Dr. Alice Campbell, and Dr. Donald Harrington. How many of our readers went to Harrington School?

	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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