BIDDLE HOUSE
PROS
There are usually a lot of carriages going by.
There are two interpreters here if you need help.
CONS
This house is very far down the block.
HISTORY
Step into the home of Agatha and Edward Biddle, merchants who moved in around 1830. This was a time of change, and the 1830s were critical to the Biddles for another reason: as an Anishnaabek woman, Agatha and other indigenous people witnessed their culture subjected to immense changes. The decade transformed the Anishnaabek, linking old ways with Michigan’s modern indigenous culture.
The continuing story of the Anishnaabek of northern Michigan is not always a happy one. It is a story of battles won and lost, promises made and broken, and cultures repressed and resurgent. Most importantly, the story in which the Biddle family played a role is one that continues today. This new exhibit, created in conjunction with tribal partners, explores that story and how it still resonates on Mackinac Island and throughout northern Michigan.
The story continues outside, with a short interpretive trail focusing on Anishnaabek culture and their relationship to Mackinac Island.
Built in 1780, this is probably the oldest house on the Island. The Biddle House is restored to the 1830s era.
Edward Biddle was from a prominent East Coast family and took up residence on the island after the War of 1812. He married Agatha de la Vigne, a local Odawa-French Canadian woman, and together they raised their family in the log home. Biddle was an independent fur trader, businessman and held offices in the community.
Know your history well, because some of the carriage drivers give inaccurate information.
BIDDLE HOUSE PROGRAMS
Cooking demonstrations will take place throughout the day in the kitchen, as well as interpretation of the Anishnaabek gallery located in the rest of the house.
11:30 a.m. Mackinac Island: A Village of Change
Explore how the Village of Mackinac Island came to be and how many new peoples started coming to the island after the War of 1812
1:00 A Time of Choice: The Treaty of Washington, 1836
This program offers a brief overview of how the 1836 Treaty of Washington affected the Anishnaabek of northern Michigan, including Agatha Biddle.
3:30 Agatha, Magdelaine, and Elizabeth: In Business at Mackinac
This program offers a brief overview of the lives of three Mackinac women: Agatha Biddle, Magdelaine Laframboise, and Elizabeth Mitchell. Agatha was part of a community of women who utilized their contacts in the Anishnaabek and Euro-American worlds to find success as merchants.
Position:
Stand across from the Biddle House ticket booth, along the fence.
If Raining: Move under ticket booth awning.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Greet guests and welcome them to the museum.
- Be able to describe the building and the demonstrations scheduled.
- Be able to direct guests to American Fur Co/Beaumont Museum, Bark Chapel, McGulpin House, Mackinac Island State Park Visitor's Center, the Richard & Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum and nearest public restroom.
- Keep area tidy at all times.
- Pick up and straighten site maps.
Bathrooms: Up Market Street towards the fort, right at the pedestrian-only cross way,
at the Chamber of Commerce.
Tickets: At the kiosk
Water Fountain: Chamber of Commerce