Albany: Stories from the Village by the Bay

Albany, California—just 1.7 miles square—is one of the smallest cities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Located across the bay from the Golden Gate Bridge, Albany not only has its own captivating past, but it is also tightly linked to the fascinating regional history of the Bay Area: from notorious 19th-century powder company explosions to an early-1900s plague scare and a famous actor accused of murder. This colorful collection of historical vignettes reveals little-known details about Charles MacGregor, the man who built many Albany homes; the origins of the famous Solano Stroll street fair; and how extensive train systems once linked local residents to the rest of the Bay Area. Today, Albany is known as a family-oriented “Urban Village by the Bay.” The stories of the city—many obscured by time—reflect its struggle to incorporate and the circuitous path leading to the modern, vibrant community of today.

Karen Sorensen is an Albany-based writer, local historian, and fifth-generation Californian. She has authored numerous articles on Albany and wrote Images of America: Albany. The images in this book are drawn primarily from the Albany Library, Albany Historical Society, Albany Fire Department, and private collections of community members.