We continue with our theme of “Albion—100 Years Ago.” May 1, 1924. “The Sheldon Hospital is Opened Today. Mrs. Ida M. Allen Has the Distinction of Being the First Patient to Be Cared for in the New Institution. She was placed in the Dr. Samuel Tuttle Memorial room on the second floor, a room equipped by Edward R. Loud in memory of his maternal grandfather, Albion’s first surgeon.”
May 2, 1924: “The attractive cover of the May issue of Boys’ Life, which has just been received at the public library, is the work of Lynn Bogue Hunt, the brother of Mrs. Minard Farley. It is a large sized illustration of an elephant and an article on hunting elephants has been illustrated by Mr. Hunt.”
“Out of 1,574 cattle owned by farmers in Albion Township, but 17 “reactors,” or animals infected with tuberculosis, were discovered in a series of tests just completed by Dr. W. N. Armstrong, Concord veterinarian.”
May 3, 1924. “The public dump at the old gravel-pit on Clark St. has been receiving the attention of city workmen during the past two or three days and the great amount of rubbish that was on the western edge of the pit, making a bad eyesore, has been pushed over into the hollow.”
May 5, 1924. “The grade crossing evil claimed six more victims in Albion Saturday evening about 6:30 when William Krebs, 34, was killed and his wife and four children were injured, as the result of a collision between a Ford touring car and New York Central train No. 44, at the Irwin Avenue crossing.”
“Born to Mr. and Mrs. Roy C. Haight, 1014 N. Berrien St. this morning, a son, Lawrence Eugene.”
“Sam Coleman W. Erie St. colored resident, who had a hearing here Friday on a charge of maintaining a place where liquor is sold, appeared before Judge Walter H. North in Circuit Court at Marshall this morning, and changed his plea from not guilty to guilty. It is expected that Coleman will be sentenced Thursday.”
May 9, 1924. Headline: “Mrs. Adaline [Grosvenor] Peabody Ranney Dies in 96th Year. Beloved Resident Who Came to Albion in 1838 and Who Was One of the Pioneer Builders of the Community Passes Peacefully Away Friday Afternoon.”
May 10, 1924. Headline: “Robbers Break Into Store at Concord Today. A Bold Daylight Robbery is Committed When Two Men Smash Way into Armstrong’s Drugstore and Get Cash Register Money.”
May 13, 1924: “Mrs. Carrie Twa of Albion not only lost her $1,000 damage suit against Glenn Willoughby, whom she accused of breaking her nose in a brawl at her home, but she was arrested with her husband George on a charge of violating the liquor laws. “Luther Pahl, 811 Burns St., had tonsils removed at the Sheldon Hospital this morning.”
May 15, 1924: “Dr. John Lawrence Seaton of New York City, college secretary of the board of education of the Methodist Episcopal Church, has been chosen as the new president of Albion College.”
May 16, 1924: “A very complete and attractively built gasoline and oil station was opened to the public today by the Engstrom Oil Company of this city on the M-17 highway on Austin Ave, just at the western city limits. Burr Parks, formerly with the Michigan Railway Company, will manage the station and will sell Marathon oil and gasoline.”
May 17, 1924: “Klan Holds a Big Meeting Near Albion. The McCormick farm, about two miles from the city on the Irwin Avenue Road, was the scene of a large meeting sponsored by the Ku Klux Klan Friday evening. There were several hundred cars on the grounds, and well over a thousand people present.”
“Eastern Standard time will be adopted in Homer beginning tomorrow. It will be tried out this summer as an experiment but it is said the chances are that it will become the permanent time for the village.”
May 19, 1924. Published: The Albion Chamber of Commerce edition of the Albion Evening Recorder, Seven Sections of eight pages each.
May 27, 1924: “Two local school buildings, the Central and the Dalrymple were entered and ransacked by thieves last night. At the Central, entrance was made through a window in the boiler room, where the thieves obtained keys letting them into all parts of the building. The got away with about two dollars in cash and two fountain pens, among other articles.”
May 28, 1924: “William M. Loder Passes Away at Home. A well-known retired building contractor, for many years the leading builder in this section, died Tuesday evening at 7:30 pm at his residence. He erected over 300 structures in Albion, several of the buildings on the Albion College campus, and some of the large business blocks in the downtown section of Albion.”
[Writer’s Note: Mr. Loder erected my house here in Albion, too].