Peace Pole dedicated in Albion by Presbyterian Church

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – An 8-foot-high pole declaring “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in eight different languages was dedicated on Saturday by the First Presbyterian Church in Albion.

There are more than 200,000 Peace Poles in the world. Project leader Kim Remley, a member of the church, said the poles are “international symbols of peace. The Peace Poles remind us to help keep peace ever present in our thoughts.”

Kim Remley speaks during a dedication for the Peace Pole on Saturday during the Strawberry Festival. Al Capurso, left, played music during the event.

Bill Lattin, the retired Orleans County Historian, speaks during the dedication. Lattin helped pick the eight languages for the pole, with the languages having a connection to immigrants in the county’s history.

Those languages include Italian, Polish, English, Gaelic, Spanish, German, Latin and Hebrew.

Lattin said immigrants were drawn to the county to work on the canal nearly 200 years ago, helping to construct and then widen the waterway. They also worked in agriculture, in sandstone quarries and in other businesses.

This historical marker by the Presbyterian Church notes the prominence of the sandstone quarry industry in Orleans, and how the quarries attracted immigrants from Italy, Poland, England and Ireland.

“This Peace Pole is appropriately located next to a historic marker which notes a number of local groups that have played a role in our local history,” Lattin said.

Albion sixth-grader Keyarah Kerstetter speaks during the dedication. She also sang the Star Spangled Banner. Other students pictured include Payge Kinsey, center, and Amber Lowery.

The TGIF youth group at the church worked on the project along with the Orleans United Drug Free Communities Coalition, Liberty Partnerships LIFE Program through Genesee Community College, and Community Coalition Initiatives and Actions (CCIA).