History Speaker Series: Michigan Central Railroad in Albion

Posted on Aug 29, 2019

Thursday, September 5 at 6:00 pm

In celebration of the 175th anniversary of the arrival of the first railroad in Albion and Marshall, the Albion Historical Society, in partnership with the Albion District Library, is very excited to welcome Steven Kelly as our first History Speakers Series presenter of the 2019-20 season. Mr. Kelly will give a talk on “The Michigan Central Railroad in Albion, Michigan” at 6 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 5, at the Albion District Library. The talk is free and open to the public.

Mr. Kelly will be familiar to Marshall audiences, having given previous talks on various topics at the Marshall District Library. A lifelong railroad enthusiast and history buff, he has collected many railroad artifacts, as well as vintage Lionel and Marx toy trains. He travels frequently, visiting battlefields, ship museums, and other industrial and historic sites. Recently he has developed a keen interest in the Civil War, and spent several days in Gettysburg touring that battlefield. 

Mr. Kelly is a 1969 graduate of Marshall High School, and has lived in the Marshall area almost all his life. He holds a B.A. in law enforcement from Ferris State University and an M.A. in education from Western Michigan University. After serving the Marshall community as a police officer for thirty-one years, he retired in 2008, continuing for another eight years on a part-time basis in support and investigative roles. While on the police force, he also wrote professional articles and taught in the law enforcement programs at both Kalamazoo Valley and Jackson Community Colleges.

For more information about this and upcoming speaker series guests, please contact Jennifer Wood, Local History Archivist at the Albion District Library, at (517) 629-3993, ext. 210, or visit www.albionhistoricalsociety.org.