Episode 2 Mackinac: An Island Famous in These Regions Posted June 30, 2016 We continue with chapters three through five of Mackinac An Island Famous in These Regions by Mackinac State Historic Parks Director Phil Porter. We last heard about the native peoples of the region; the origin of all life and the Great Turtle. Now, Phil describes the addition of Europeans to the region, encouraged by religion, economic benefit, and exploration. If you would like more information about this publication or others, or want to learn more as you plan your trip to visit our historic sites, visit us online at www.mackinacparks.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. And be sure to subscribe to receive our upcoming episodes. [podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/4483055/height/60/width/847/theme/standard/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/forward/” height=”60″ width=”847″] Download the Podcast »
2015 Collections Acquisitions Posted January 29, 2016 The year 2015 was a busy one for collections as the Mackinac Island State Park Commission accessioned 140 gifts and 150 purchases to the historic object and archival collections. Many of the objects acquired this year were images of Mackinac Island, Mackinaw City and the surrounding area. These include photo album pages with images from visitor’s trips, stereo views that were a popular souvenir in the late 1800’s, postcards and press photographs. The park purchased a rare bill for fish from 1853 and a medal commemorating one of Fort Mackinac’s commanders. (more…)
2015 Archaeology Field Season in Review Posted October 16, 2015 The field season at Michilimackinac is over and as we dive into the winter lab work routine, there is time to reflect on what we learned this summer. Of course the most notable find of the summer was the intact rosary . We will devote some time this winter to trying to answer some of the questions it raised. Why does it have “extra” beads – is it a Brigittine rosary or are they for some other devotion? Was it made in France? How costly would it have been? Other questions will have to wait for further excavation next season. The rosary was found in the tenth-of-a-foot level above an as-yet-unidentified clay feature. The clay is surrounded by cobbles and a plank. It extends into an adjacent quad, which was partially excavated this summer. (more…)
Digging up the Past, All in a Day’s Work Posted March 6, 2015 Visitors to Michilimackinac get to interact with archaeologists uncovering little bits of history every day during the peak season. What they are observing is only part of the process. For every day we spend excavating, we spend two or three days in the lab trying to figure out what it all means. Following each season, a preliminary report is written, summarizing the season’s findings. (more…)
Lace and Buttons: More than Just Decoration Posted February 6, 2015 Dressed in their madder red regimental coats, black hats, and white underclothes, the soldiers of the 8th Regiment who served at Michilimackinac in the 1770s may have looked quite similar to other British troops fighting in the American Revolution. Their uniforms, however, were unique, marked by distinctive buttons, trim, and lace tape. (more…)
Portraits Put Face on Mackinac History Posted December 30, 2014 It’s fascinating that after fifty years of actively collecting materials related to Fort Mackinac history, we still discover new treasures. Our most recent “discovery” is two portraits of Colonel George Mercer Brooke who commanded the fort in 1832. Portrait ca. 1819 Portrait ca. 1825 While conducting research for a future publication tentatively entitled “Soldiers of Fort Mackinac: A Pictorial History”, Director for Mackinac State Historic Parks Phil Porter made contact with Colonel Mercer’s great, great grandson George Mercer Brooke, III, through Ancestry.com. Brooke, a retired United States Marine colonel, shared with me a photograph of a portrait of his ancestor painted c. 1819 in Boston. While the portrait is not signed, family tradition holds that it was painted by Gilbert Stuart, the famous early American portraitist. Mr. Brooke’s cousin, Theodore Brooke, provided an additional portrait of the fort commander painted c. 1825. (more…)
