Mission House (Mackinac Island)
Encyclopedia
The Mission House on Mackinac Island
is a historic structure owned by the state of Michigan
. Built in 1825, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
and is operated as part of the Mackinac Island State Park
.
and his wife Amanda on the southeast corner of Mackinac Island at the location since known as Mission Point. It is the centerpiece of a major effort by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
to disseminate Christianity among the Native Americans of the upper Great Lakes. It is also a standing remnant of the fur trade
era of Great Lakes history.
and the American East Coast.
The Mission House was constructed as a two-story building. It was built in a spare, utilitarian style suitable for its purpose. There has been little exterior decoration on the building since its original construction in 1825. The dormitory structure was built with local sawn timbers from nearby Mill Creek
, and a close study of these timbers enabled archeologists to reconstruct what kind of steel saw had been used to cut the logs and even how fast the saw blade had moved.
The Mission House was the largest structure of a complex that also included a church, the Mission Church
(built 1829-30), and nearby fields for training students in agriculture
. The Ferry family lived in this house for 12 years, from 1825 until 1837. Here their son, Thomas W. Ferry
, a future U.S. Senator, was born in 1827.
was admitted to the Union as a state, and the Ferry family moved to what was to become Ferrysburg, Michigan
. The Mackinac mission complex was abandoned.
The decline of the fur trade was caused by "civilization" and the increasing immigration of settlers and homesteaders into Michigan. For many decades in the early and mid-19th century, Mackinac Island was a key junction point for the short-run lake steamboat
s of the day. Many immigrants to Lake Michigan
changed boats at Mackinac Island, and needed places to stay during their stopovers. In 1849 Edward Franks bought the unused Mission House, added a third story to the two-story structure, and reopened it as a hotel/boarding house
. He did not change the structure's name.
After the Civil War, pleasure travel increased in northern Michigan, and the Mission House readapted itself as a somewhat spartan pleasure resort. As the 20th century began, however, the aging building was increasingly ill-adapted to provide a comfortable experience to travelers. The Great Depression
dealt the Mission House a blow from which it could not recover. The hotel closed in 1939.
movement. Under the leadership of the Rev. Frank Buchman, MRA made Mackinac Island their world headquarters and built a series of modern buildings around the old dormitory. After MRA left Mackinac Island in 1971, these buildings found a variety of uses and eventually became Mission Point Resort, a destination-style vacation complex.
The Mission House itself, built in the restrained style seen as appropriate by 1820s New England Protestants, was not suited to resort use. It was purchased in 1977 by the Mackinac Island State Park and its exterior restored to its appearance soon after the enlargement of 1849. Its interior was remodeled into living space for Mackinac State Historic Park's seasonal workers. The interior is not open to the public.
Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island is an island and resort area covering in land area, part of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The island was home to a Native American settlement before European...
is a historic structure owned by the state of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. Built in 1825, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and is operated as part of the Mackinac Island State Park
Mackinac Island State Park
Mackinac Island State Park is a state park located on Mackinac Island in the U.S. state of Michigan. The island park encompasses 2.81 mi² , which is approximately 74% of the island's total area of 3.78 mi² . The park is also within the boundaries of the city of Mackinac Island and has permanent...
.
History
The Mission House was built in 1825 by missionaries William Montague FerryWilliam Montague Ferry
William Montague Ferry, Sr. was a Presbyterian minister and missionary who founded several settlements in Ottawa County, Michigan....
and his wife Amanda on the southeast corner of Mackinac Island at the location since known as Mission Point. It is the centerpiece of a major effort by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions was the first American Christian foreign mission agency. It was proposed in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College and officially chartered in 1812. In 1961 it merged with other societies to form the United Church Board for World...
to disseminate Christianity among the Native Americans of the upper Great Lakes. It is also a standing remnant of the fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
era of Great Lakes history.
Dormitory
The Mission House was designed as a combination school complex and boardinghouse for students of Native American, meti, and Euro-American ancestry. The students were boarded at the school, taught manual crafts and rudimentary liberal arts, and trained to adopt the standards and living patterns characteristic of New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
and the American East Coast.
The Mission House was constructed as a two-story building. It was built in a spare, utilitarian style suitable for its purpose. There has been little exterior decoration on the building since its original construction in 1825. The dormitory structure was built with local sawn timbers from nearby Mill Creek
Historic Mill Creek State Park
Historic Mill Creek State Park is a state park, nature preserve, and historic site in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is run by Mackinac State Historic Parks, the operating arm of the Mackinac Island State Park. 625 acres in size, the park is located 5 miles southeast of Mackinaw City, Michigan...
, and a close study of these timbers enabled archeologists to reconstruct what kind of steel saw had been used to cut the logs and even how fast the saw blade had moved.
The Mission House was the largest structure of a complex that also included a church, the Mission Church
Mission Church
The Mission Church is a historic Congregational church in Mackinac Island, Michigan, United States. Built in 1829, it is the oldest existing church in the state of Michigan...
(built 1829-30), and nearby fields for training students in agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. The Ferry family lived in this house for 12 years, from 1825 until 1837. Here their son, Thomas W. Ferry
Thomas W. Ferry
Thomas White Ferry was a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan.Ferry was born in the old Mission House on Mackinac Island. The community on Mackinac at that time included the military garrison, the main depot of John Jacob Astor's American Fur Company, and the mission....
, a future U.S. Senator, was born in 1827.
Hotel
The Mackinac Mission never succeeded in financially supporting itself and, in the late 1830s, its functions were undermined by the decline of the upper Great Lakes fur trade. In 1837, Michigan TerritoryMichigan Territory
The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan...
was admitted to the Union as a state, and the Ferry family moved to what was to become Ferrysburg, Michigan
Ferrysburg, Michigan
Ferrysburg is a city in Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,040 at the 2000 census.Spring Lake Township borders the city on the north and east, though it is administratively autonomous. The village of Spring Lake is located to the southeast, on the opposite side of...
. The Mackinac mission complex was abandoned.
The decline of the fur trade was caused by "civilization" and the increasing immigration of settlers and homesteaders into Michigan. For many decades in the early and mid-19th century, Mackinac Island was a key junction point for the short-run lake steamboat
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
s of the day. Many immigrants to Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
changed boats at Mackinac Island, and needed places to stay during their stopovers. In 1849 Edward Franks bought the unused Mission House, added a third story to the two-story structure, and reopened it as a hotel/boarding house
Boarding house
A boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed...
. He did not change the structure's name.
After the Civil War, pleasure travel increased in northern Michigan, and the Mission House readapted itself as a somewhat spartan pleasure resort. As the 20th century began, however, the aging building was increasingly ill-adapted to provide a comfortable experience to travelers. The Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
dealt the Mission House a blow from which it could not recover. The hotel closed in 1939.
Moral Re-Armament and living space
Once again unused, the Mission House found a new owner in 1946 as the temporary base of the Moral Re-ArmamentMoral Re-Armament
Moral Re-Armament was an international Christian moral and spiritual movement that, in 1938, developed from the American minister Frank Buchman's Oxford Group. Buchman, a Lutheran, headed MRA for 23 years, from 1938 until his death in 1961...
movement. Under the leadership of the Rev. Frank Buchman, MRA made Mackinac Island their world headquarters and built a series of modern buildings around the old dormitory. After MRA left Mackinac Island in 1971, these buildings found a variety of uses and eventually became Mission Point Resort, a destination-style vacation complex.
The Mission House itself, built in the restrained style seen as appropriate by 1820s New England Protestants, was not suited to resort use. It was purchased in 1977 by the Mackinac Island State Park and its exterior restored to its appearance soon after the enlargement of 1849. Its interior was remodeled into living space for Mackinac State Historic Park's seasonal workers. The interior is not open to the public.