Albany’s HISTORY The City of Albany was incorporated in 1890, but not without a struggle. The first petition to incorporate, signed by 33 male residents of the proposed area of incorporation, was presented to the Stearns County Board of Commissioners Nov. 30, 1888. The County Board issued a notice calling for an election on the issue at the District 59 schoolhouse the following January. The Great Northern and Soo Line Railroads once bounded the city, but have since been removed and the right of way now is utilized for pedestrian (hiking/biking) travel. One of the lines running from Avon through Albany to Sauk Centre is now a paved bike, hike and snowmobile trail called the Lake Wobegon Trail.
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The water plant was installed in 1902 and electricity in 1909. Beautiful Pine and Pelican Lakes are about 4 miles northeast of Albany. It wasn’t an accident that the commercial development on Railroad Avenue (Main Street) was almost confined to one side of the street. The railroad designed it that way, the objective always being to receive revenue from people who used the rails. The land within the 300-foot railroad right of way was not for sale, only for lease. Businesses allowed to lease the land from the railroad were those who shipped by rail – livestock, grain, general merchandise, farm implements, automobiles and so on. Retail merchants and service businesses hesitated to build on the railroad right of way with only a 30-day lease, so they built on the north side of Main Street. The City celebrated 125 years in 2015.
Two Rivers Settlement in 1862 John Schwinghammer, Jr., laid the first claim in Two Rivers Settlement. The Obermiller and Platz families followed one year later. A halfway house was in Albany during the mid-1860s to accommodate pioneer travelers and traders on the Red River Trail. Seven Dolors parish was organized and a log church was built in 1868. This church also served as a school. Isador Obermiller served as first postmaster in 1870 with the coming of the Great Northern Railroad north of Albany. The settlement was relocated in 1872 and named Albany. A monument was erected on County Road 54, 1/2 mile east of Albany, in 1982 by the Stearns County Historical Society.
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HOME OFFICE: 141 Fifth Street, PO Box 301, Albany, MN 56307
320-845-2375 A Century of Serving Our Neighbors
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