McNally Cottage

04/10/2025

Megan Riley shared these nice pictures of herself with Brooke Hemry from an August 1991 vacation. Those were the days...

04/06/2025

Tricia sent some great photos. 3 are from celebrating Cecilia Flanagan's birthday in 2000 (fourth of July) with the traditional dinner at the Carriage House. (Dating back to at least 1985, my first summer co-running McNally.) Also with Jack Welcher and Patsy Pfundstein. Looks like that one picture of OJ and Patsy is up by the East Bluff - maybe Anne's Tablet? But the treasure here is Oliver and Jean at Robinson's Folly. He worked on the Island every summer (he wasn't in the army) up to and including the summer after graduating law school. One summer Jean did, too, and they met most days there for lunch. (End of the East Bluff, above Mission Point.)

01/23/2025

04/11/2024

Steve Sweet pointed out this post from Roger Priebe on the dockporter's page.

c.1900 - on the left, the year after she was built, the original McNally Cottage porch / colorized in the style of Clarice McKeever Haynes / along with later day photos, including one of the cottage being demolished in 2011 [ Mackinac State Historic Parks photo ]

03/11/2023

Don't want this buried in a thread of comments! Photography gallery from friend of the Cottage (and family), Candace West! https://www.candacewest.com/Other/Art/Mackinac-Art-WW/ Beautiful Mackinac art.

This collection of art is composed of Black and White images obtained from over twenty years of visiting beautiful Mackinac Island, Michigan. The photographs were printed the old fashion way, in a dark room. Then using another dying art form, the images were hand colored. The process takes a great d...

02/11/2023

Frequent guest and photographer extraordinaire Candace West captured this peek into the Cottage in July 1992.

09/25/2022

Cousin and McNally manager Tricia Cameron has been sending some interesting bits and photos. Aunt Catherine's trip to the Vatican made the Town Crier, but it was on the back of the sale of the College.

Also, the picture of Dr. James M McNally that used to hang in the suite. Tricia said visitors to her home ask the same question we always got "Why do you have a picture of Eisenhower?" Often followed by: He's our great uncle. You're related to Eisenhower?) He was an early college football star, and, before the NCAA, then accepted a football scholarship to medical school at Creighton. As a doctor in Omaha, also became a star harness racer. He was the oldest of the McNally kids. (Catherine was the youngest.)

Contrary to Carmen, he was never known to haunt the cottage!

08/14/2022

Nancy Collins was reading a book on the Michigan Irish. There's a short chapter on Charlie O'Malley, the man who brought both the Donnelly's and McNally's to the Island. I was especially happy to see there a version of a story that was told many times on the porch.

In the family version, Justice of the Peace O'Malley tried Strang for treason (well outside his authority) and sentenced him to death. Avoiding a federal incident only because someone unlocked the jail cell that night and left a rowboat on the shore for Strang.

01/28/2022

Old pic I stumbled across. Who draws a new picture every year?

10/01/2021

Friend of the Cottage Katie Ingraham said this was ok to share:
While going through pictures, I found these three photos of McNally's. The first one was taken in 1989 - I was 6 and it was the first year my mom took me to the Island. After that, we went every year during the lilac festival. We made great friends and amazing memories. The second picture was taken in 1998 and the last was in 2001 - the last year mom and I went for the lilac festival other than the year I worked there as a bedmaker in 2004.

08/28/2021

Via friend Lisa Kasmer, an article about a book of the early women of Mackinac history. https://www.lansingcitypulse.com/stories/the-band-of-tough-women-that-helped-settle-mackinac-island,17753 Have to wonder if any of the Donnelly sisters are in it? (Nancy McNally, Michael's mother, was more St. Ignace history.)

For nearly 40 years, Theresa L. Weller has used her prodigious genealogy skills to help families find lost relatives, but nothing prepared her for the difficulties she overcame in researching the Biddle Band, who occupied Mackinac Island long before it became a tourist destination.

06/10/2021

Eight years ago on Mackinac Island for the Lilac Festival Grand Parade. Looking forward to returning next year.