Downtown Albion was bustling in the early ’70s
ALBION – About 40 years ago, Albion’s downtown had a grocery store, clothing and jewelry shops, as well as lots of other independent merchants.
Albion resident Gar Trusselle found these photos and sent them to The Orleans Hub.
The top photo was taken from near the canal looking south. The Waterman building, which is next to the Briggs building, was standing in the early 1970s. A fire about a decade later would remove that structure from the collection of historic structures in the downtown.
The photo below shows East Bank Street. You can see projecting signs and awnings on some of the buildings back then.
“I remember doing a lot of our shopping there when I was growing up,” Trusselle said. “So many stores were downtown at that time. Clothing, jewelry, groceries and several of each. Oh well, I guess that’s progress.”
