Aug. 14, 2006

Mackinac Island, Mich. — He served at every major military post in the Great Lakes and three times at Fort Mackinac, including one tour as commanding officer in 1833. His name is William Whistler, and three premier artifacts associated with him may soon be acquired for display at the fort, thanks to the commitment of Mackinac Associates, the friends group of Mackinac State Historic Parks (MSHP).

The opportunity to purchase the Fort Mackinac artifacts was brought to the attention of MSHP in early spring, when Mackinac Associates board member Brian Dunnigan notified the parks’ administration that an antiques dealer had three items for sale: a painted portrait of Whistler, a pair of his pistols, and a one-of-a-kind medallion commemorating his role in ending the Winnebago War of 1827.

After Chief Curator Steven Brisson verified the objects’ authenticity and appropriateness to the agency’s collections, he asked that MSHP immediately move to purchase them. “Each object by itself was significant,” Brisson explained. “But the three together with their associated provenance — having been sold to the dealer by Whistler’s great-granddaughter — were almost priceless to us.”

The dealer wanted $60,000 for the lot, and the parks set out to raise the asking price. To jump-start the fundraising campaign, the Mackinac Associates board of directors voted to commit up to $25,000 in the form of a challenge donation. “We want to do our part to bring these treasures to Mackinac,” noted Associates President Marta Olson, “and also to encourage individuals, corporations and foundations to join us in this effort.”

A targeted direct-mail appeal has been issued to help raise the matching funds, but public donations are also being sought. Interested donors are invited to contact MSHP’s Mackinac Associates liaison, Diane Dombroski, at (231) 436-4100 for more information.

Though Mackinac Parks has not yet acquired the artifacts from the dealer, their eventual placement within Fort Mackinac has already been decided; a space has been set aside for them within the ‘An Island Famous in These Regions’ exhibit, located in the Soldiers’ Barracks.

William Whistler was an uncle of James McNeill Whistler, who painted Arrangement in Gray and Black: Portrait of the Artist’s Mother (commonly called ‘Whistler’s Mother’) and other notable works.

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 include Fort Mackinac, Mackinac Island State Park and Historic Downtown on Mackinac Island, and Colonial Michilimackinac, Historic Mill Creek and Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse in Mackinaw City. MSHP sites are accredited by the American Association of Museums. Visitor information may be obtained by phone 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).