to operate on the water power of the forks of the Kalamazoo River. They were the first industry in the town, used to process lumber, grain and other products to build the village. Albion quickly became a mill town as well as an agricultural market. The river that powered industry also flooded the town. In the Great Flood of 1908, there was severe property damage. In February, snowstorms had deposited several feet of snow across the region. Heavy rains and warmer conditions in early March created water saturation in the ground and risk of flooding because of the high flow in the rivers. After the Homer Dam broke around 3 p.m. on March 7, the Kalamazoo River flooded Albion. By midnight, the bridges surrounding town were underwater. Six buildings in Albion collapsed, resulting in more than US$125,000 in damage (1908 dollars). The town struggled to recover. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, numerous Lithuanian and other Eastern European immigrants settled here, most working for the Albion Malleable Iron Company, and some in the coal mine north of town. The iron company had initially made agricultural implements but around World War I shifted to making automotive parts. The Malleable merged in 1969 with the Hayes Corporation, becoming the Hayes-Albion Corporation. Now known as a division of Harvard Industries, the company continues to produce automotive castings in Albion. Molder Statue Park in downtown is dedicated to the many molders who dealt with molten iron. There were soon enough Lithuanians in town to establish Holy Ascension Orthodox Church, which they built in 1916. It is part of the Orthodox Church in America. Today its services are in English. The city had its peak of population in 1960. In 1973 Albion was named an All-America City by the National Civic League. It celebrated winning the award on May 15, 1974, when the Governor of Michigan, William Milliken, and many dignitaries came to town. In 1975 the closure of a major factory began a difficult period of industrial restructuring and decline in jobs and population. Since that time citizens have mobilized, founding the Albion Community Foundation in 1968. They formed the Albion Volunteer Service Organization in the 1980s, with support from Albion College, to address the challenge of diminishing economic opportunity. Key to the City Honor Bestowed: 1964: Aunt Jemima visited Albion on January 25. 1960s: Columnist Ann Landers was presented with a