Mackinac College - History

History

In the early 1820s, Reverend William Ferry, a Protestant Missionary, built the Mission House to house and teach Indian children. A few years later, he established Mission Church, one of the first Protestant churches in the Midwest. The southeast end of Mackinac Island thus became known as Mission Point. The mission was closed in the late 1930s and within a decade the originally school building was being used as the "Mission House" hotel, one of the first resort hotels on the island. The building was operated as a hotel until the Great Depression.

During the 1940s, Moral Re-Armament (M-RA) began holding conferences on Mackinac Island. M-RA was a multi-national group, who, led by Dr. Frank Buchman, promoted a philosophy of love, unselfishness, purity and honesty in a world-wide evangelistic campaign. Originally established in the 1930s in England and known as "The Oxford Group," it eventually had its headquarters in Switzerland. It was an ideological alternative to the post World War II spread of Communistic influence. It held conferences on Mackinac Island beginning in the 1940s at a variety of locations, ultimately purchasing the Mission House and adjacent properties. Groundbreaking ceremonies began in 1954 and construction soon began on what was to become the M-RA's World Conference Center.

The Theater was the first building constructed. Fifty foot trusses made of Norway Pine from nearby Bois Blanc Island supported the roof, and 45 tons of native stone formed the original building. Construction on what is now called Huron Court and the Main Lodge began in the Fall of 1955, with the large trusses for the Great Hall being raised in early 1956.

The Main Lobby is one of the most distinctive architectural structures on the island. Nine-ton trusses, converging at a height of 36 feet (11 m), resemble a 16-sided tepee. This structure is said to fulfill the Indian prophecy that "Someday, on the east end of the island, a great tepee will be erected. All nations will come there and learn about peace."

In 1957, the building which is now Straits Lodge was completed. Its lobby, known as Johnson Hall, exemplifies wood craftsmanship. Its focal point is a five-foot (1.5 m) marble-paneled fireplace.

The movie production Sound Stage was constructed in 1958. At that time it was the second largest of its type in the world. Universal Studios leased the Sound Stage for the 1979 summer season to produce the motion picture Somewhere in Time starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. The entire cast and crew were hosted at the resort, then "The Inn on Mackinac."

The MRA relocated its operation to Switzerland and deeded much of the property to an organization known as Mackinac College in 1966. Several new facilities, including a classroom building (Clark Center) and library (Peter Howard Memorial) were constructed. This institution of higher education operated from 1966 until 1970. It developed programs in statesmanship and leadership, as well as more traditional curricula. The property was later sold to televangelist Rex Humbard. It operated the facility as a "Christian family resort" and bible college. However, by the late 1970s he sold everything to a private resort company. The original Mission House building was sold to the Mackinac Island State Park Commission.