Albion, Michigan

49224

Picturesque Albion is located at the eastern border of Calhoun County. It is best known as the home of Albion College, a Methodist based liberal arts institution begun in 1835. Its economic base is supported in large part from college-related activity, but also from a diverse local business base. Albion is situated on the Kalamazoo River where its south and east branches meet at what is known as the "forks." It celebrates the "Festival of the Forks" every third weekend in September to commemorate its heritage.


The first settler to this area was Tenney Peabody, who came here in 1833. In 1835, he and Joseph Crowell built a grist mill, naming it the "Albion Company" after Albion, New York, where Crowell was from. Shortly afterwards, the town was officially platted in 1836, and was incorporated as a village in 1838.