Governor’s Cottage Tours Offered

At right: Finished in 1902, the Governor’s residence featured dark shingled siding and the interior was finished in Georgia or long-leaf pine.

The Governor’s Summer Residence will be open for public tours, offering visitors a look into this unique 103-year-old cottage overlooking the Straits of Mackinac. Now on the National Register of Historical Places, this turn-of-the-century, three story residence has 11 bedrooms and 9.5 bathrooms. The gazebo from the 1980 motion picture “Somewhere In Time” can be viewed in the west garden of the residence.

The cottage was built in 1902 for Chicago attorney Lawrence Andrew Young by Island contractor Patrick Doud. It was designed by Frederick Perkins. The house was sold to the Hugo Scherer family of Detroit in 1926 and the State of Michigan purchased it in 1945 for $15,000. Since then, it has been the official summer residence for Michigan governors.

The cottage exterior was covered with white pine and now is painted white. The home was remodeled in 1996 and 1997.

Free tours are held from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. each Wednesday from June 8 through August 24.

(Photo courtesy of Mackinac State Historic Parks)