05/23/2007

Historic Downtown Mackinac Island Buildings Open June 9

Mackinac Island, Mich. — Michigan ’s oldest house of worship—Mission Church on Mackinac Island—is among five historic buildings to open to the public for the 2007 season on June 9. Operated by Mackinac State Historic Parks (MSHP), the buildings may be entered for free with a Fort Mackinac admission ticket or with a separate ticket priced at $5 for adults, $3 for youth 6-17, and free for children under 5.

Mission Church was constructed in 1829-1830 by the congregation of Reverend William Ferry, a Presbyterian missionary. Restored to its original appearance in the 1980s, it may be visited daily from noon to 4 p.m. Mission Church is located on Main Street, east of the island’s marina.

To the northwest of the marina is Market Street, where John Jacob Astor reestablished his American Fur Company after the War of 1812 and turned the island into an important hub of the fur trade in the upper Great Lakes. MSHP has preserved four buildings along this historic street: the American Fur Company Store/Dr. Beaumont Museum, the McGulpin House, the Biddle House, and the Benjamin Blacksmith Shop.

These buildings feature historical interpreters in authentic costumes as well as exhibits and period furnishings. They will be open to the public daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Mackinac State Historic Parks is a family of living history museums and nature parks in northern Michigan’s Straits of Mackinac and is an agency within the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries. Its sites—which are accredited by the American Association of Museums—include Fort Mackinac, Mackinac Island State Park, and Historic Downtown on Mackinac Island, and Colonial Michilimackinac, Historic Mill Creek, and Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse in Mackinaw City. Visitor information is available at 231-436-4100 or on the web at www.MackinacParks.com.