August 3, 2004

Mackinac Island, Mich.- Mackinac State Historic Parks will offer the public a different look at historic Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island with special evening candlelight tours on Wednesday, Aug. 11.

From 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., guides will lead groups of guests through the gathering darkness inside the 224-year-old Revolutionary War island fortress. Guests will meet "spirits" from the past as historic interpreters dressed as 18^th- and 19^th-century soldiers, doctors, fur traders and island villagers talk about their life (and sometimes death!) at Fort Mackinac.

Tickets for Fort Mackinac Candlelight Tours are $30 for families, $10 for adults, $6 for youths age 6-17, and free to children 5 and under and Mackinac Associates members (except Heritage). Tickets may be purchased at the event.

Fort Mackinac was built by the British in 1780-81 as a stronghold to protect the lucrative Great Lakes fur trade. The fort and Mackinac Island changed hands between the British and the United States three times between 1796 and 1815, and were the site of the first land action of the War of 1812. Fort Mackinac is the site of the oldest public structures in Michigan.

Fort Mackinac is open daily until Oct. 10. Guests experience the fort as it was in the 1880s, touring 14 original buildings filled with exhibits, interactive displays, videos and period settings. Interpreters in 1880s American military uniformsperform rifle and cannon firing demonstrations, re-enact a court martial, and provide tours and concerts of military music throughout the day. Admission is $9 for adults, $5.75 for youths age 6-17, and free for children 5 and under.

Mackinac State Historic Parks is a family of living history museums and parks in Northern Michigan's Straits of Mackinac region, and is an agency of the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries. The sites include Fort Mackinac, Historic Downtown and Mackinac Island State Park on Mackinac Island, as well as Colonial Michilimackinac, Historic Mill Creek and Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse in Mackinaw City. The sites are accredited by the American Association of Museums. Visitor information is available on the Web at www.mackinacparks.com and by phone at (906) 847-3328 or (231) 436-4100.

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