Archaeology at Old Mackinac Point Posted April 10, 2020 The station grounds as they appeared around 1918. The privy and oil house are located at right. Courtesy State Archives of Michigan Restoration of the Old Mackinac Point Light Station includes not only the ongoing work at the lighthouse, but the restoration and reconstruction of support buildings and landscape features. As with all ground disturbing activities at Mackinac State Historic Parks, the impact on potential archaeological resources is a consideration. (more…)
Mackinac Island State Park Commission Meeting Posted March 27, 2020 The Mackinac Island State Park Commission will meet at the Mackinac State Historic Parks Post Hospital Administration Office Board Room on Mackinac Island. Click here for the meeting notice. Click here for the meeting packet.
Mackinac Island State Park Commission Meeting Posted March 27, 2020 The Mackinac Island State Park Commission will meet via Zoom due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Click here for the meeting notice. Click here for the agenda. Click here for the meeting packet.
Mackinac Island State Park Commission Meeting Posted March 26, 2020 The Mackinac Island State Park Commission will meet online via Zoom. Click on the meeting notice for how to join the meeting. Click on the image for the meeting notice and how to join the meeting. Click here to view the meeting packet.
Mackinac Parks: 125 Posted February 7, 2020 Mackinac State Historic Parks turns 125 years old in 2020. Established in 1895 when the federal government shuttered the country’s second national park, Mackinac National Park, the Mackinac Island State Park Commission has pursued the important mission of protecting, preserving and presenting Mackinac’s natural and historic wonders. Today, Mackinac State Historic Parks is a family of living history museums and nature parks located in Mackinaw City and on Mackinac Island. (more…)
2019 Collections Acquisitions Posted January 24, 2020 German made souvenir porcelain china. In 2019, the Mackinac Island State Park Commission accessioned 188 gifts and 107 purchases to the historic object and archival collection. The park purchased or was gifted several large collections of souvenirs, paintings, glassware and postcards. Some of the interesting items were a large collection of souvenirs, paintings and other items related to Mackinac Island purchased from a long-time collector. Several black and white press photographs and an invoice from the business of an islander was acquired. Donations included the engine room plate from a Straits of Mackinac shipwreck, several pieces of Kriesche glassware and photographs and archival material belonging to a former Mackinac Island State Park Commissioner. (more…)
A Legal Battle at the Lighthouse Posted June 21, 2019 The brick 1906 fog signal building sits just east of the 1892 keepers’ quarters. The 1890 fog signal originally occupied the space between the two buildings, where benches now line the sidewalk. Today, visitors to Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse enter the site via the Fog Signal Building, constructed in 1906. The machinery originally housed inside powered fog whistles, and later air horns, to guide sailors during periods of poor visibility. The building itself, however, was only constructed after a 13-year legal dispute between the federal government and the Village of Mackinaw City. (more…)
Mill Creek – What Happened Next? Posted December 13, 2018 The earliest known photograph of the Mill Creek site, taken in about 1915. The bridge carries the state highway across the stream and the lake would be to the back of the photographer. The “MC” markings are noting the location of the Michigan Central railroad. The bluff at left center is where today’s overlook is. Visitors to Historic Mill Creek learn about the Campbell and Dousman families and their employees operating the saw and grist mills and farm at the site. What happened next? (more…)
New Photos of an Old Hospital Posted January 23, 2015 Mackinac State Historic Parks Registrar Brian Jaeschke recently acquired copies of several historic photographs of the 1860 Post Hospital at Fort Mackinac. The photographs were discovered in the digital collection of the U.S. National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland which has 150,000 historical prints and photographs. Click the image to see a larger version. The photographs, two of which are new to the MSHP collection, show the hospital as it appeared in the 1880s. The front view is taken from the upper gun platform and shows the south and west elevations of the building. In the foreground are the 6 and 12 pound cannon that were used by soldiers for daily salutes and ceremonial occasions such as the Fourth of July. Today’s cannon firing demonstrations take place in the same location. Beyond the gun platform is the walkway bridge that that provided access to the building through the front porch. Of interest is the system of gutters which collected and fed rain water into the cistern which is still in place in front of the hospital. Water was stored in the cistern as part of the fort’s fire protection system. (more…)
