A Peek Into The Past: The Pratt Photo Album Posted February 16, 2018 Companies E and K, 23rd Infantry, at Fort Mackinac, 1886 Mackinac State Historic Parks is fortunate to have an ever-expanding collection of original objects related to the sites we preserve and interpret. These objects help us share the many stories of Mackinac with our visitors. One of the more unique pieces in the collection is an original photo album and scrapbook assembled by Edward Pratt, a U.S. Army officer who served at Fort Mackinac and several other stations around the world at the end of the 19th century. (more…)
2017 Collections Acquisitions Posted January 16, 2018 Charles E. Waltensperger painting showing the coal dock on Mackinac Island. In 2017, the Mackinac Island State Park Commission accessioned 102 gifts and 85 purchases to the historic object and archival collection. Among the objects acquired was a 1934 map of Mackinac Island showing Civilian Conservation Corps projects, several black and white snapshots taken by tourists and photographic equipment used to document the state park collection in the 1970’s and 80’s. During the year, the park received several new paintings, became the caretaker for archival collections from Wawashkamo Golf Club, Little Stone Church and the Brown family and home for one of the largest models of a Straits of Mackinac railroad ferry. (more…)
The Christmas Mutiny at Fort Mackinac Posted December 25, 2017 Summer on Mackinac Island buzzed in the 1820s with the booming fur trade. Fort Mackinac was busy regulating the fur trade during this bustling time. The winter was a different story of long nights and monotonous work. This was the time that one of the most dramatic episodes to ever play out at Fort Mackinac happened, the Christmas Mutiny of 1829. (more…)
WPA and Mackinac Posted July 21, 2017 The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was a New Deal work program established in 1935 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It provided skill-based jobs to unemployed Americans affected by the Great Depression. Through the WPA over 650,000 miles of roads, 75,000 bridges, and 8,000 parks were built. (more…)
Archaeology Update Posted July 14, 2017 MSHP staff member Alex excavating in the root cellar. We have reached the halfway point of the 2017 Michilimackinac archaeology field season. We have known since the project began that this was a fur trader’s house, and the numerous trade artifacts recovered this summer confirm that. We have found over a dozen gunflints, four trade gun caliber musket balls, several fishhooks, fragments from two Jesuit rings and glass beads in many colors and sizes. These have mostly come from the interior of the house. (more…)
The City of Mackinac Island Posted July 7, 2017 Did you ever wonder why your Mackinac Island t-shirt might have “Established 1817” on it? The answer happened 200 years ago today. (more…)
Confederate Political Prisoners at Fort Mackinac Posted June 16, 2017 Washington Barrow (1807-1866)Congressman, Newspaper editor, Attorney General of Tennessee During the summer of 1862, Mackinac Island became the home to three men from Tennessee who refused to swear allegiance to the Union. In April, military Governor Andrew Johnson had the three men arrested for their support of the Confederacy and “treasonous inclinations.” Johnson felt that the wealthy, planter class of the South was part of the reason for the war and he wanted the three men removed from Tennessee. Secretary of War Edwin Stanton ordered the three men sent to Detroit until a decision could be made regarding their incarceration. (more…)
McGulpin Family of the Straits of Mackinac Posted June 13, 2017 If you are walking up Fort Street next to Marquette Park on Mackinac Island, you may notice a small, unassuming house on the left. This is the McGulpin House. While small in stature, it packs a lot of history in its walls. (more…)
What’s Missing at Old Mackinac Point? Posted June 2, 2017 When you visit the Old Mackinac Point Light Station today, you are stepping back in time to the early years of the 20th century. Since 2004, Mackinac State Historic Parks has been working to return the station grounds to their appearance just over 100 years ago. Three original buildings- the 1892 keepers’ quarters and tower, the 1906 fog signal building, and the 1892 barn- have all been restored to their original appearance, while the 1890 warehouse was reconstructed to match the original in 2014. The station looks complete, but there are still a few elements missing. (more…)
Special Events at Colonial Michilimackinac Posted April 28, 2017 Although there aren’t any big anniversaries to celebrate this year, there will be a number of exciting special events throughout the summer at Colonial Michilimackinac. From June to September, two weekends each month will highlight a different aspect of the site’s history with special programs and activities. (more…)