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Mr. Crowell was progressive and philanthropic, a self made man, his parents having died when he was young, and having never married, he had no children, but gave generously of his time, money, and energy for the building of Albion.

Crowell was born in Oswego County, New York, and came to Albion in 1835 at 37 years of age. He had the intention to find water power and build a mill. He found the site at the forks of the Kalamazoo River.

Crowell was the main organizer, along with fellow pioneer settlers Tenney Peabody , Issachor Frost and D. L. Bacon , of the Albion Company - a firm which laid the plat for the town in 1836. In 1837, he negotiated for a post office and became the first postmaster. Through the Albion Company, Crowell sold property to other early settlers, donated land to establish churches, and established the Albion Burying Ground - later to become Riverside Cemetery. In 1838, he donated 60 acres of land and an additional 3 block for the Wesleyan Female Seminary, which later became Albion College. In its first years, Crowell served on the school's board of directors and contributed liberally to the institution.

Crowell operated his Stone Mill from 1845 until his death, exporting products throughout the country. In 1917 this building was converted for use as a bank, removing the upper story, and applying a neoclassical front on the Superior St facade. The south wall of the Stone Mill may still be seen to this day.

Crowell is associated with many other places in Albion. Crowell's Michigan Avenue home was purchased by Dr. Stephen Munroe in 1873Events The United Kingdom declares war against Ghana's King Kofi KariKari, who was involved in the trading of slaves. The war ended by July and the British established the Gold Coast Colony. January 17 Indian Wars: First Battle of the Stronghold during th. A retired physician, Munroe added a mansard roof and third floor to the structure. The family of Albion State Bank president David A. Garfield were the final residents of the house. Mrs. Garfield was the niece of Dr. Munroe. The Garfield's lived there until the house was demolished in 1926Centuries: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s Years: 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 See also 1926 in aviation 1926 in film 1926 in literature 1926 in mu to make way for Wesley Hall, a girls' dormitory for Albion CollegeAlbion College is a small, private liberal arts college located in Albion, Michigan. Related to the United Methodist Church, it was founded in 1835 and was the first private college in Michigan to have a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. It has a student populat, later expanded for the use of all Albion College freshmen.

Crowell Park is located on North Superior Street. Named Washington Square in the original 1836 plat map and later known as Washington Park, this park was at one time extensively landscaped. Albion's water tower is located on this hill-top location. In the center of the park is the cornerstone from Crowell's stone mill.

Crowell School was named in his honor and opened in 19551955 is a common year starting on Saturday. see link for calendar) Events January events January 2 Panama president Jose Antonio Remon is assassinated. January 19 The Scrabble board game debuts. February events February 8 Nikolai Bulganin ousts Georgi Mal in the northwest corner of town. Because of declining student enrollment, this elementary school was converted for use as administrative offices in 20042004 is a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 2004 calendar), and has also been designated the: International Year of Rice International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition Elections are to be held in 73 co.

Finally, the Crowell Block (303-307 Superior) in the Superior Street National Commercial Historic District downtown (listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the USA's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects worthy of preservation. The more than 75,000 listings represent significant icons of American culture, history, engineering, and ar), was built by Crowell (c. 1858Events January 14 Felice Orsini and his accomplices fail to assassinate Napoleon III in Paris but their bombs kill 156 bystanders. Because of the involvement of French emigres living in Britain, there is a brief anti-British feeling in France but the empe) and was part of a row of three story commercial buildings between the Albion Opera House and the Brockway block on the corner of Superior and Erie.