Albion Interactive History / People
Wareham Warner, 1779
Died 1854
Builder +
308 W. Erie, first frame house in Albion, 1835
Mill Race, 1835
302 W. Erie, first brick house in Albion
Little Red Schoolhouse, 1837
Biography
Wareham Warner (1779-1854) came to Albion in the spring of 1834, erected the first frame house in Albion at 308 W. Erie St. in 1835. Wareham was a man of energy, integrity, and benevolence. He erected the Little Red Schoolhouse, helped build the mill race, dug the first well, built the first barn, and was a strong supporter of the Wesleyan Seminary, now Albion College. Numerous descendants of Wareham Warner still live in the area today. P3
The 1877 History of Calhoun County, Michigan describes Warner’s early contributions to Albion:
He returned the the forks of the Kalamazoo in 1834. Here in company with Tenney Peabody, he began to build up the village of Albion and erected the first house built on the south side of the river and cooked his first meal by the side of a log, ate the same from a board and drank for his beverage the clear water of the Kalamazoo that rippled at his feet.
In 1835, the company began the building of a dam, digging a race and erecting a sawmill. Mr. Warner also built the first frame house in the village, dug the first well, built the first barn, and thus as his children say, to live in a civilized way.
Source: Frank Passic. A Pictorial History of Albion, Michigan; From the Archives of the Albion Historical Society. Dallas, Texas: Curtis Media Corporation. 1991.