Albion officially names park by canal, ‘Erie Canal Park’
Site will add monument to 1859 bridge collapse victims, and bench and lamppost made of old steel from Main Street lift bridge
Photo by Tom Rivers: The park by the canal recently added the concrete planters with flowers. More elements are headed to the site.
ALBION – The small park along the Erie Canal across from the Albion Fire Hall has been referred to as Canal Park and Firemen’s Park over the years.
Now it has an official name,” Erie Canal Park.”
Village Clerk/Treasurer Tracy Van Skiver said the park has never been formally named. She and her staff combed through the village records.
Provided photo: Bill Schutt made a lamppost from old steel from the Main Street lift bridge.
The village plans to dedicate the park with a ceremony at noon on Sept. 28. During that event, a monument will also be unveiled to the 15 victims in the Sept. 28, 1859 bridge collapse. The Main Street bridge at the time gave out when 250 people crammed on the bridge to watch a wirewalker. The Albion Rotary Club is taking the lead in working with Brigden Memorials of Albion on the project.
The village also is installing two pieces made from old steel from the Main Street lift bridge which has been closed since November 2022 for a major rehabilitation.
A park bench is being made by village employees from some of the discarded steel from when the bridge was originally built in 1914.
The village also used a grant from GO Art! to pay artist Bill Schutt to make a lamppost from the old steel. The lamppost will provide another light at the park.
The village also has moved some of the concrete planters that were in the downtown to the park. They are on the back perimeter of the site.
The gazebo also will get new shingles and paint as Albion tries to create a more inviting spot for local residents and visitors on the canal. The Village Board said it is open to naming the gazebo in honor of someone and will take suggestions from the community.
The park includes a historical marker dedicated for a Revolutionary War hero, Marquis de Lafayette. The French military officer provided critical aid to George Washington in securing American independence. Lafayette traveled on the Erie Canal from Lockport to Rochester in June 1825 to great fanfare.
There also is an interpretive panel at the site about different facets of the Erie Canal in Albion.
The park is between Platt and Ingersoll on the south side of the canal.
