The MHS Bridge Award for Historical Impact is given to an individual or individuals who inspire us with their outstanding philanthropy, community involvement, and dedication to preserving history so that others may learn about and understand its significance. It is the Michilimackinac Historical Society’s distinct honor to announce the 2026 recipients of the Michilimackinac Historical Society’s Bridge Award for Historical Impact: the Timmons and Rearick families. The Timmons, Clayton (Tim) and Anna (Ann), who passed away in 2019 and 2017, respectively) were the first to donate a most generous gift toward the development and construction of the new Straits Cultural Center, with the Rearick family (Carol and Doug) picking up where their parents left off. We are honored to celebrate the Timmons and Rearick families whose contributions have impacted both the St. Ignace and Mackinac Island communities for decades.
It was not quite ten years ago that Tim and Ann Timmons stopped in at Fort de Buade Museum one rainy afternoon to view the exhibits. And what they saw as they wandered among the exquisite Native American beadwork, rare muskets and firearms, and local historical artifacts was rainwater dripping from the ceiling plunking into plastic buckets. Museum staff, as per usual when it rained, had placed buckets in strategic locations among the exhibits to catch the drips streaming from overhead and down the walls, all the while they were mopping up puddles on the floor as visitors walked through the museum. After the Timmons saw firsthand the precarious condition the irreplaceable artifacts were in because of the poor state of repair of the building, they made a transformative monetary gift.
