Famous Albionites will be featured on Ghost Walk
Sept. 28 event will include 80 students at Mount Albion
Courtesy of Albion Central School – Albion student Kendra Morrison recounts a story during last year’s Ghost Walk about Amos Clift and how he solved the issue of some hobos that kept stealing his farm fencing.
Press release
Albion Central School
ALBION – About 80 Albion High School students will portray notable residents of Mount Albion during a Ghost Walk on Sept. 28. The event runs from 5 to 9 p.m. with tours every 15 minutes. The cost is $5 with proceeds going to service-learning projects.
The tours will start near the chapel of the historic cemetery on Route 31, east of the village. The tour includes the older part of the cemetery.
Students will portray the following:
Albert Warner, who embezzled money from the Roswell Burrows estate and the First National Bank.
William Barlow, a famous architect who designed and built some of our most prominentbuildings, including the Orleans County Courthouse.
Jane Lavery, who was 16 yearsold when she died in the 1859 Main Street bridge collapse while watching an aerialist attempt to cross the Erie Canal.
Ben Field, who acquired the franchise rights to make sleeper cars for the railroad. He sold his part of the business to his partner, George Pullman, for $5,000. Pullman became a multi-millionaire.
Loren Stiles, who was influential in starting the first Free Congregational Methodist Church in the world. The Free Methodist denomination started in Albion.
Amanda Bedell, mother of Grace Bedell, who was 11 when she wrote a letter to Abe Lincoln encouraging him to grow whiskers. He took her advice and met Grace during a train stop in Westfield, NY.
Sanford Church, perhaps the most prominent citizen of Albion’s past. He was an attorney, state assemblyman, state comptroller, Lieutenant Governor of NY and served as chief justice to the NYS Court of Appeals.
Emma Swan, who along with her husband, William Gere Swan, turned the Burrows mansion into thefirst public library for the Albion community.
John Proctor, an early settler in Gaines, he was the Paul Revere of the Ridge during the War of 1812.He rode east to warn people the British were advancing to Lewiston.
John Hull White, who was the grand sire of theIndependent Order of the Oddfellows.
William Butts, a Revolutionary War soldier.
Roswell Burrows, a wealthy banker (reportedly the richest man in Albion). He established the First National Bank of Albion and unfortunately trusted Albert Warner, his assistant.
Lewis Tyrell, a Civil War soldier who fought at the Battle of Petersburg with General Grant.
Emma Root, who recounts a story of a certain gentleman named Pat Flynntrying to settle his bill with a clerk at the village store.
The tour includes choral and instrumental musical selections. To reserve a spot on the tour, call Sue Starkweather Miller at the school, 589-2087.
