Mission & Projects

Mission

Mackinac Associates’ mission is simple and encompassing: Friends preserving and sharing Mackinac’s heritage.

Mackinac Associates is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that supports projects, programs and park improvements at Mackinac State Historic Parks. Mackinac State Historic Parks is a family of living history museums and parks that includes Mackinac Island State Park, Fort Mackinac, the Biddle House, featuring the Mackinac Island Native American Museum, and The Richard and Jane Manoogian Art Museum, the Benjamin Blacksmith Shop, the American Fur Co. Store & Dr. Beaumont Museum, and the McGulpin House on Mackinac Island, and Michilimackinac State Park, Colonial Michilimackinac, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse and Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park in Mackinaw City. Mackinac State Historic Parks is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

Member Support

Mackinac Associates members are passionate about preserving the rich history and natural beauty of the Straits of Mackinac. Through membership dues, donations, sponsorships, and other gifts, Mackinac Associates members have supported needed projects in every area of museum operation.

Member support makes possible:

  • Interpretive programs

  • Publications

  • Video production

  • Building preservation

  • Collections acquisition

  • New and renovated exhibits

  • Education outreach programs

  • Natural history education

  • Park improvements

  • Outdoor interpretive panels

  • Wayfinding signage

Funded Projects & Programs

Thanks to the generosity of Mackinac Associates members, donor and sponsors, Mackinac State Historic Parks has been able to fulfill its mission of preserving the historic and natural resources of the Straits of Mackinac. Since its inception, Mackinac Associates has provided over $3,000,000 in support of projects and programs including over $800,000 for education outreach programs.

Each year Mackinac State Historic Parks interpreters take to the road to present about Mackinac’s rich history and natural resources in classrooms across the state. The program now includes a variety of in-person and virtual programs that teachers can select from, allowing students to explore topics from Michigan’s early fur trade or learn about our state’s natural history. Mackinac Associates has proudly sponsored the education outreach program since its creation in 1988.

Mackinac Associates provides support in all areas of museum operation, from the small such as providing funding for a historically accurate anvil for the blacksmith shop at Colonial Michilimackinac to our largest project – the reconstruction of Fort Holmes.

Recent Larger Initiatives Include:

  • Portraits of Arent and Rebecca Depeyster Purchased

  • Funding of the renovation of the Biddle House to include the Mackinac Island Native American Museum

  • Reconstruction of Fort Holmes on Mackinac Island

  • Ongoing Award-Winning Archaeology at Fort Michilimackinac

Current & Completed Projects

Preserve History. Protect Natural Resources.