History: Later Years
The church was used for some years for political meetings and plays, and occasionally for church services. It was used by the Catholic Church in 1870, reroofed, and for some time used for services until St Anne's was constructed. However, the building became more and more dilapidated.
In the late 19th century, the island became used more as a resort. The Grand Hotel was constructed in 1887, and the influx of summer residents soon overwhelmed the space available for the island's small Protestant congregation. In 1894, a group of residents purchased the church for nondenominational services, restored it, and opened it in the summer of 1895. It was used for years primarily in the summer. The Mackinac Island State Park Commission purchased the building in 1955. The Commission restored the structure. In the 1980s, the church was extensively restored. As of 2012, the church is open to the public daily in the summer, and can be rented for weddings.
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Mission Church, c. 1895
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Front of church in 1936
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c. 1900
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Famous quotes containing the word years:
“Talleyrand said that two things are essential in life: to give good dinners and to keep on fair terms with women. As the years pass and fires cool, it can become unimportant to stay always on fair terms either with women or one’s fellows, but a wide and sensitive appreciation of fine flavours can still abide with us, to warm our hearts.”
—M.F.K. Fisher (b. 1908)