Jan. 30, 2008

Mackinaw City, Mich. - Mackinac State Historic Parks today announced the recent release of Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse: A History & Pictorial Souvenir by Steven C. Brisson, Mackinac State Historic Parks chief curator and author of five Mackinac State Historic Parks books and vignettes.

Brisson engages the reader through vivid photographs and colorful text, taking them on a journey through the construction and life of the brick lighthouse built near the shores of two Great Lakes at Old Mackinac Point, located in Mackinaw City, Michigan.  The story begins in 1671 with a brief history of Old Mackinac Point when the Straits of Mackinac was the focus of European activity, and then journeys through the evolution of lighthouses of the Great Lakes.  Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse was constructed in 1892, and Brisson, following years of solid historical research, highlights the light station's many stages of development between 1890 and 1957.  Included in the pages of the soft-cover book are detailed floor plans, striking black-and-white photographs, and vibrant color paintings and postcards.

"Old Mackinac Point Light Station served as a beacon to navigators through the Straits of Mackinac for 65 years," Brisson wrote.  "Built near the peak of development of manned lighthouses in America, it bears witness to changing technology in aids to navigation - changes that ultimately made it obsolete."

The light station was built near what is now Michilimackinac State Park, which has been a popular tourist destination since the 1890s.  During its heyday, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse's fourth-order Fresnel lens, which is given special attention in the book, served as a guiding beacon to sailors through the Straits of Mackinac, where Lakes Huron and Michigan meet.

Climbing to the top of Old Mackinac Point Light Station's 50-foot tower provides a spectacular view of the Mackinac Bridge.  With the completion of the bridge in 1957, the lighthouse was no longer needed to provide navigation through dark skies and blinding storms.  However, between the lighthouse's construction in 1892 and its closure in 1957, it bore a fascinating history.  During its 65 years of operation, the light station housed generations of light keepers and their families, men and women whose stories are told within the 47 glossy pages of Brisson's book.

"The lighthouse service permitted keepers to have their families with them at most stations," Brisson wrote.  "Thus a lighthouse was truly a home.  Situated on the mainland within a town, Old Mackinac Point was a desirable location for most light keepers and their families.  Unlike remote locations or islands, amenities were close at hand."

Brisson documents the evolution of the lighthouse during the introduction of many new technologies.  A map and descriptive text of Old Mackinac Point's sister lights are also found within the book.  In addition, Brisson provides nautical history, including a special section on the shipwrecks of the Straits of Mackinac and surrounding areas, a feature on automobile ferries and historic photographs of Mackinaw City.

Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse is now a museum operated by the Mackinac Island State Park Commission through Mackinac State Historic Parks.  Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse: A History & Pictorial Souvenir provides colorful photographs illustrating the many facets of the lighthouse museum, including the furnished keeper's sitting and dining rooms restored to their 1910 appearance, the authentic early-20th century kitchen and gallery exhibits on the history of the station with original artifacts and hands-on elements for children and adults.

A sixth-generation native of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Brisson grew up in western Alger County. He received a B.A. in history from Northern Michigan University in 1989 and a M.A. from the Cooperstown Graduate Program in History Museum Studies in 1992. He served as a curator for the State Historical Society of Wisconsin Sites Division from 1992 through 1995, and accepted the position of curator of collections for Mackinac State Historic Parks in 1996.  In 2004, Brisson was appointed chief curator.

Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse: A History & Pictorial Souvenir, priced at $10.95, can be purchased by contacting Mackinac State Historic Parks at (231) 436-4100, or by visiting Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, open seven days a week from May 12 - Oct. 12.

Mackinac State Historic Parks is one of the most productive museum-based publishers in the United States, presenting Mackinac's rich history through publications for over 40 years.  Other titles by Brisson include Picturesque Mackinac: The Photographs of William H. Gardiner, 1896 - 1915 ($26.95) and Wish You Were Here: An Album of Vintage Mackinac Postcards ($14.95 hardcover; $12.95 softbound).

Mackinac State Historic Parks, a family of living history museums and parks in northern Michigan's Straits of Mackinac, 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, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse and Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park in Mackinaw City.  Mackinac State Historic Parks is governed by the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, established in 1895 to protect, preserve and present the parks' rich historic and natural resources for the education and recreation of future generations.  Visitor information is available at (231) 436-4100 or on the Web at www.MackinacParks.com.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL).