Information & history on rear of plaques:
MAK01 Amberg Cottage, Mackinac Island, MI  The West Bluff Cottages were built by wealthy Midwesterners who came each July with their families to relax in their favorite watering place.  The "Amberg Cottage" located on the West Bluff, was built in 1892 by William Amberg of Chicago, inventor of the manila file folder for holding loose correspondence.  This private residence is part of the Mackinac Island State Park and is a National Landmark listed on the Federal Register of historic Places.
The American Heritage Dictionary says the word "cottage" is a small summer house used for vacation.  Most of the West Bluff cottages contain ten to twenty rooms, stretching the definition of the word "small".

MAK03 Rearick Cottage, Mackinac Island, MI  Mackinac Island is located at the junction of the Lakes Huron and Michigan in the Straits of Mackinac.  Mackinac's rock-covered shore lies beneath impressive bluffs that rise 150 feet above the lake.  Because of its high-backed appearance.  Chippewa Indians named the island "Michilimackinac" meaning great turtle.  The summer cottages on Mackinac Island reflect a variety of Victorian architectural styles.  The earlier cottages are small and modest.  They employ simple plans, restrained ornamentation, and their design come from pattern books.  Later cottages are larger and more decorative.  They were usually designed by architects and more closely resemble traditional Victorian styles.

MAK04 Windermere Hotel, Mackinac Island, MI  Designed and built by Richard Rickman of Peoria, Illinois., the "Windermere Hotel" was originally known as the Anthony cottage.  Constructed in the village on Biddle Point in 1887, part of the original structure (no longer existing) was a lighthouse style tower, a particularly appropriate design for lake or seaside cottages.  Being one of Mackinac Island's earliest examples of Queen Anne architacture, this hotel was designed to make the Victorian traveler feel at home.

MAK06 Governor's Summer Residence, Mackinac Island, MI.  This cottage was purchased by the state of Michigan to serve as the official summer residence for the state governor.  The flag of the state of Michigan flies on the pole below the American Flag.  The house overlooks the city and the straits of Mackinac.

MAK07 Ste Anne's Catholic Church, Mackinac Island, MI  The first mission was established on Mackinac Island in 1670.  During the 1700s the mission was relocated to the south side of the Straits.  In 1780, the British commander, Patrick Sinclair, moved Ste Anne's Church back to Mackinac Island.  Parish records dating from this era are preserved in the island church to this day.  Ste Anne's originally stood between Market & Main Streets at the west end of town.  It was moved to the east end of town near the Mission Church as the result of a gift of land from Madame La Framboise.  This is where the church stands today.  In 1874, Ste Anne's Church was rebuilt but the steeple was not completed until much later.  The church was remodeled in the 1990s.  Ste Anne's continues to be a vital part of the island's year round community.

MAK08 Hawkins Estate, Mackinac Island, MI.   On a piece of property, offering one of the best views from the east bluff of Mackinac Island, the Elstner family of Chicago built a modest cottage in 1893.  The cottage remained mostly unchanged through several owners, including the Senator Phillip Hart family, U.S.Senator from Michigan.  Working with the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, the present owners, the Hawkins family, redesigned and renovated the cottage to its present grandeur by adding four columns and the upper balconied portico to give the house a federal style.

MAK09 Bay View Bed and Breakfast, Mackinac Island, MI.   In 1891, most of the original island cottages of Mackinac were built on the high bluff.  The Amour family opted for the shoreline and built what would eventually become the Bay View.  As it turned out, the Amour family never moved in but sold it to Matthew Bailey, the founder of Bailey's Drug Store and the great-grandfather of the current owner.  In 1937 when Matthew Bailey's daughter inherited the home, she turned it into a tourist home, renting rooms for $1 or so a week.  Today, the family is still running it as a tourist home, known as the Bay View Bed and Breakfast.