Inside & Out: Governor's Residence on Mackinac Island, Michigan

Where do Michigan’s governors go when they need a little rest, vacation, party, or to just plain hide? Mackinac Island. Each Michigan governor is privy to using the island mansion any time.

The home was originally the residence of Lawrence Young, who had it built in 1901. As the years went on into the 1920s, Lawrence eventually sold his home to Hugo Scherer – and to this day it is referred to as either the Young-Scherer Cottage or the Lawrence A. Young Cottage.

In 1944 it was sold again...this time to the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, who forked over fifteen thousand dollars for the place so it could be used specifically by Michigan’s governors...and every governor since July 1945 has spent time there: Harry Kelly, Kim Sigler, G. Mennen Williams, John Swainson, George Romney, William Milliken, Jim Blanchard, John Engler, Jennifer Granholm, Rick Snyder, and Gretchen Whitmer.

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And why wouldn’t they want to stay there....for long periods at a time, even? The house has three stories, eleven bedrooms, a total of ten bathrooms, full basement, servant’s quarters, and awesome views of the Mackinac Bridge, Grand Hotel, and the Jewel Golf Course.

U.S. Presidents who came, spent a few nights, and split include Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.

But it’s not just for politicians or ‘celebrities’...you can visit and take a tour as well, but only on Wednesdays thru summer.

The house was actually one of the first legitimate homes built here ever since the island became de-militarized.

The Governor's Summer Residence on Mackinac Island is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Take a look at the photo gallery below...some of the images are taken from a 1978 TV film and are a little fuzzy...