Posted on by Maggie

Albion’s 17 Parks

Albion has 17 official parks plus several areas that are similar to parks like the Albion Dog Park.

Albion once had the claim of parks per capita than any other city but has been beaten out by Cathlamet WA, according to this letter to the editor there.

However, with over 8,000 residents and an ivy league small college, and cultural diversity, Albion still has amenities that might be preferable to a small town of 500 residents. Albion also may now have the claim to the world’s largest Coca-Cola Mural, so we’ll be posting more information about that shortly.

With more people working from home than ever before, it is helpful to get into nature and away from stress to recoup. Browse some stories about Albion’s 90 acres of parks.

Popular Stories about Albion Parks

Learn more about Holland Park Transformation and other Black History in this section

See posts about History Hill below

Albion River Trail

August 19, 2019 No Comments

Click the photo above to see the photos from Labor Day Albion 2019 – Walk the Trail. Labor Day Albion – Walk the Trail takes

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An map of Holland Park from 1997 shows its location on the west side of Albion Michigan.
Holland Park is the site of the former West Ward School in Albion Michigan. This photo from early 2015 shows a tour of what existed at this site then.
City Council person Lenn Reid and others toured the playground equipment.
Historian Leslie Dick and City Council person Lenn Reid are among those who started a campaign to raise funds to transform Holland Park.
Holland Park was a favorite spot for its basketball courts. On the building next to the courts was a mural by Jerome Washington.
The mural by Jerome Washington had portraits of notable school teachers at West Ward School.
A marker at Holland Park tells the story of the segregated school that once stood at this spot.
Leslie Dick and Lenn Reid were active in their involvement to make the transformation project happen.
Presentations were made to City Council and to potential funders to provide a better playground, and more at Holland Park.
A sign at Holland Park that shows it is one of Albion’s large network of public parks.
Part of the process to raise funds for the Holland Park project was to increase public awareness at the Festival of the Forks.
The planners visited the park often to see what was there and needed to be updated or replaced.
Brainstorming sessions involved City Hall and community members.
Albion Youth helped to make presentations of the photos of the park and activities that take place there.
Presentations were made at area churches.
Meetings with key community members took place at City Hall. Here Harry Bonner helps with the strategic planning.
The work begins on the new playground equipment for Holland Park
Special equipment was installed for different age groups
The new equipment is safer and sturdy
Two of the helpers of the installataion day were City Manager Dr. Sherly MItchell, and Harry Bonner, Director of Substance Abuse Prevention Albion
Some of the volunteers pose for a photo
There was time left for a walk on the nearby Albion River Trail after the work day

Browse this interactive Map of Albion Parks that also shows some walking tours including the Purple Gang Walking Tour, Historical Markers, and Public Art. Use the navigation on the left panel of the map to turn on and off layers.

The interactive Google Map of the Albion River Trail also has hidden layers that you can turn on if you would like. Just click on the list icon in the upper left of the map to turn on the layers to show Historical Markers near the Albion River Trail, and public art near the trail, and the Purple Gang Tour. You can also zoom in or out to see more detail or the bigger picture. We will be adding more details to the markers in the future.

The map above shows the parks and areas that are near the Albion River Trail. When you are on the river trail, you might like to stop by to see the Holland Park Transformation project.

Learn more about Albion’s Parks from the official City of Albion website at this link:
http://www.cityofalbionmi.gov/Your-Government/City-Departments/Parks-Division

The post above was originally created for the General Guide 2015 Parks Edition. 

Watch this site for upcoming information about Collaboration Corner (next to Biggby’s Coffee) and the Albion Dog Park, where your best friend can get out and run in a nice clean spot.