June 30, 2004
Log Cabin Day exhibits rustic charm
Old Mission Peninsula Historical Society event features tour of area log home and lighthouse
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Nearly 1,500 people took a trip back in time, courtesy of the Old Mission Peninsula Historical Society.
The society hosted Log Cabin Day on Sunday, offering a carriage tour of historical points in Old Mission, tours of the Hessler Log Home at Lighthouse Park and many crafters, musicians and historical re-enactors. The Maritime Heritage Alliance displayed the Gracie L, a reproduction of a Mackinac boat that plied the waters nearby 150 years ago.
A Civil War nurse plied her trade while poet Jim Ribby recited period verse. Crafters demonstrated a range of handcrafts, including spinning, weaving, rug hooking and chair caning.
Little hands tried out weaving on portable looms, creating miniature rugs to take home. Many youngsters also offered their limbs for bandaging by Deb Downey, who portrayed a Civil War nurse and gave a living history lesson on medical care from that era.
The wide-ranging activities amazed some attendees.
"We came up her for summer vacation and just couldn't believe our luck that this place was open," enthused Eddie Zuniga of Iowa City, Iowa, who attended the event with his wife and two daughters.
The Old Mission Point Lighthouse, which was completed in 1870, was also open for tours. The lighthouse's powerful kerosene-fueled lamp with reflecting lenses warned ships of a treacherous sandbar for decades. A buoy now provides the warning and the lighthouse and residence are part of the township's Lighthouse Park. The township parks caretaker occupies the lighthouse residence.
Throughout the day, a line of eager viewers waited patiently to climb to the tower room, marveling in the antiques and craftsmanship of the house. A breathtaking view of sparkling blue water and glistening sand awaited them at the top of the third and steepest staircase.
"I climbed up as a child but I don't remember much but being awed by the view," said Susan Feiger, a Peninsula Township resident since the 1950s. "It doesn't look like much from the outside, like it isn't very high, but when you get up there it is amazing."
Log Cabin Day also featured tours of the Hessler Log Home, a structure built by Joseph and Mary Hessler in 1858 on land now occupied by the Underwood Farms subdivision.
Three township residents, Walter Johnson, Julie Anne Meyer and John Austin, rescued the Hessler home from the bulldozer in the early 1990s. More volunteers from the Old Mission Peninsula Historical Society helped raise money, relocate it to the park and restore it for future generations.
The Hessler Log Cabin tour was part of a statewide Log Cabin Day sponsored by the Log Cabin Society of Michigan, which opened 90 log cabins around the state to the public.
The Log Cabin Day at Lighthouse Park also featured more than 25 presenters from a range of local craft guilds.
"Last year I invited between 30-40 craftspeople and this year I invited a few more," said Carol Lewis, a member of the Old Mission Peninsula Historical Society and head of the Hessler Log Cabin Committee. "It just seems to be growing and increasing and we really look forward to that."
Lewis noted that the carriage ride through historic Old Mission was a big draw. The route of the ride stopped at six historic points, including the Dougherty House, Old Mission Inn, Old Mission General Store and Old Mission Congregational Church.
The day was a success for the Old Mission Peninsula Historical Society, noted Lewis, giving impetus to future events that highlight the peninsula's history and contributions to the region.
"The five dollar tickets to see inside the lighthouse or take the carriage ride were not really thought about as being a fund-raiser, it was to see if people would come," she said. "And they did, they did. So in the future we might be looking at this as a fund-raiser."