The history of the Colonial House Inn may always remain a mystery as the many
stories and documentation do not agree.
The Chamber’s family originally lived North of town and exchanged their farm
with the St. Antoine for the house in town. Their mercantile was across the
street where Arnold’s is currently located. They sold wood and coal to the
steamers and horse supplies. Eventually they sold the property to Arnold’s ferry
line. See the St. Antoine rock behind the Gold Mine.
The Colonial House Inn is also known as the Colonial House Hotel and John
Chambers House. The house is listed on both the Michigan Historical Preservation
(www.mcgi.state.mi.us/hso/sites/9236.htm) and the National Register of
Historical Places
(www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/mi/Mackinac/state.html). It states the
older section, of the house was completed about 1870, is a two-story,
rectangular frame structure with hipped roof and coarse stone rubble foundation.
The front addition is a three-story, yellow-painted clapboard and fishscale
shingle building with a two-story entry portico supported by four columns which
rest on a stone foundation. The place is listed as a vernacular example of the
Colonial Revival style built by local builders, the front addition was completed
about 1910. It also states that around 1910, Patrick and Michael built the front
addition to reflect the acknowledged prominence of the family.
The Chambers House historic significance was as the residence of the John
Chambers family, one of the pioneer business families in the St. Ignace. John
Chambers Sr., a native of Ireland, arrived in Philadelphia in 1846. He and his
family moved to St. Ignace about 1870 from Mackinac Island and constructed the
two-story house for his family on State Street. His sons, John Jr., Patrick, and
Michael, opened a small general store, built the first dock, and pooled their
money to acquire large real estate holdings in the city. Michael rose to
political prominence, serving as a State Representative and later Mayor of St.
Ignace.
In 1945, relatives sold the house to a retired Great Lakes captain who converted
the house to an inn from 1947 to 1978. The inn re-opened in May 1981 after
extensive interior renovations.
Maple’s bed is believed to be an Eastlake bed from the period of 1860 – 1870.
Antique’s bed and dresser are believed to be an Eastlake from 1890. The bed has
the stamp of #13 printed on the pieces on the inside.