Gallery

Main Hall (Ladies Hall)

Main Hall was built in 1853 and held classrooms, ladies' dorm rooms, the principal's living quarters, kitchen, dining area and laundry for all who lived at the Academy. Main Hall burned in 1915 which lead to the Academy closing in 1918.

North Hall (Chapel Hall)

North Hall was built in 1853 of red brick rahter than the cream brick used in Main Hall. A bell cupola sat on this building. Men's dorm rooms, class rooms and a chapel (Seventh Day Baptists started the Academy). The chapel took the whole 3rd floor and had a stage. Students started their school days with attendance taken in the chapel.

South Hall (Kumlien Hall)

South Hall was built of cream-colored bricks in 1868 when the population swelled to 302 with the addition of many Norwegian students. The hall was later named after Thure Kumlien, a local naturalist and professor at the Academy. The building had classrooms and men's dorm rooms.

Sheepskin School

Sheepskin School is a one-room school house that was located west of Edgerton, but now is located next to the Albion Academy Museum and is open to the public.

Busseyville School 1950-1951

Busseyville School was a one-room school located northwest of Albion (and northwest of Busseyville). It closed after the 1965-1966 school year.

Dr. Arlow Stout's Boyhood Home

Dr. Stout grew up just south of Albion, next to the former Albion School (between the musum and the Interstate on Albion road). Dr. Stout is considered the "father of the modern daylily" and researched the Native American burial mounds of the area.

Day Lilies

The day lily variety shown above is the Mikado. This is one of the many varieties that are growing on the Albion Academy Museum grounds.

Carpenter's Tool Chest

One of our most recent additions to the collection is charles Barber's tool chest, complete with tools. Charles lived on the southeast corner of Hwy 73 and Hwy 106, just east of Albion.

Albion Tigers (2009)

The Albion Academy Museum has many artifacts of the Albion Tigers, a Home Talent League team that plays in the ball field next to the museum. Artifacts include: photos, uniforms and equipment.

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Albion Creamery

The original creamery was replaced by a red brick building (located south of the Museum on Edgerton Road). The creamery closed in the 1970s.

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Artifacts

The Museum contains many artifacts related to life in and around Albion, including life at the Academy. Many of the artifacts from the time of the Academy burned in the 1965 fire. The flag shown has 36 stars and therefore dates between 1865 and 1867.

Underground Railroad

The Albion Academy had a fervent abolitionist sentiment leading up to the Civil War. It has been reported that shortly after the Seventh Day Baptist Church was built in 1861 that a secret underground room was hollowed out beneath it to hide freedom seekers (run-away slaves) as they made their way to Canada.

RockGen near Rockdale

The natural gas/diesel power plant near Rockdale recently donated a check for $1,000 to the Albion Academy Historical Society.

RockGen Presenting the Check

Members accepting a check from RocksGen at their open house. Danny Berg (a resident of the town of Milton) works at RockGen and suggested to Eric Baker that the Albion Academy ask to be considered for a grant.

Representatives of AAHS at RockGen

Left to Right: Danny Berg, Gary Durgin, Nancy Durgin, Kent Marsden and Eric Baker.

The Albion Academy Historical Society wants to thank a very special donor for this beautiful sign showing the way to the Academy Museum and Sheepskin School. This donor wishes to remain anonymous, but he felt we needed a bigger sign. So he asked to Historical Society to contact Rick Peterson to make the sign and send the bill to him. We did, Rick did and the donor did! THANK YOU, VERY SPECIAL DONOR!! Also, thank you to Jeff Wright and Jake Kienbaum for placing the sign in accordance with highway rules on June 9, 2022. The smaller sign is now in the Albion Park showing the turn to the buildings. We have had visitors to the Museum every Sunday afternoon since that day. The Museum will be open on August Sundays from 1 to 4 pm.

Day on the Prairie

The Day on the Prairie brought 72 members of the Sons of Norway and the Koshkonong Prairie Historical Society to the Albion Academy Museum on August 14, 2022.

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Jack Ellickson found a family member who graduated from the Albion Academy on "Day on the Prairie."

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Mary Furseth is holding up hr grandma's quilt block during the "Day on the Prairie".