Mackinac State Historic Parks is pleased to announce the publication of two new vignettes as part of its Mackinac History series. Numbers six and seven of the fourth volume are “Relics of Maritime Tragedy: Objects from Straits of Mackinac Shipwrecks” by Registrar Brian Jaseschke and “The Changing Face of Fort Mackinac” by Museum Historian Craig Wilson.
“Relics of a Maritime History” focuses on a number of artifacts from the more than 150 shipwrecks dotting the Straits of Mackinac, highlighting such wrecks as the Cedarville, Sandusky, and Eber Ward. Three vessels that represent very different times periods of maritime transportation. This vignette is in complement to the Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Museum, located at Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse in Mackinaw City, just east of the Mackinac Bridge.
Maintaining a historic structure today is not a simple task, and keeping up with the seemingly endless repairs necessary to stymie decay at Fort Mackinac was no different than when it was an active military post. “The Changing Face of Fort Mackinac” outlines the various struggles in which the soldiers, officers, and their governments battled not enemy forces, but nature, neglect and indifference to preserve and finance the ongoing care of Fort Mackinac.
Both of these publications are available for purchase at all of our museum stores. To learn more about other Mackinac State Historic Parks’ publications, visit our publications page.
