A Harvest of Hope for Gordon Hall on Oct 11

| 2 min |by Caryl Burke, Dexter Area Historical Society |

The Dexter Area Historical Society is partnering with Coley O'Brien, owner of The Fillmore Bar and Grill in Dexter, to present our 2020 Gordon Hall fall fundraiser, A Harvest of Hope for Gordon Hall. 

Enjoy an amazing dinner from The Fillmore AND help keep the lights on at historic Gordon Hall. Dinners will be prepared by The Fillmore staff and delivered to your car by costumed DAHS volunteers. 

Menu choices and reservations can be found by calling or texting Ina Germain at 734-395-4106 or by visiting dexterhistory.org. Dinners are $75 each. All are welcome, but RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED. 

This will be a lovely, delicious way to support Gordon Hall while we all stay safe. All proceeds from this event will be used to support the operation and ongoing renovation of Gordon Hall.

Due to the pandemic, DAHS had to cancel our usual public activities, including our $10,000 Gordon Hall Raffle, Gordon Hall Days, and Christmas at the Mansion. But we are doing well and are as busy as ever. The Museum has been open since May. 

Visitors who are looking for low-key and fun activities in a safe environment have discovered that our lovely little Museum is a great way to while away an afternoon and learn about Dexter history. It remains open through November from 1-3 pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

We had a very successful fundraising campaign to save the belfry on the Museum. Our Bats in the Belfry campaign raised over $25,000, which we used to repair and paint not only the belfry but also the entire museum exterior. Anyone who donated at least $50 received a custom-made ‘batty’ face mask. Great for Halloween! And if you drove by Gordon Hall on Island Lake Road during the summer, you might have seen our new Burma Shave-style signs advertising the fundraiser. They were great fun and did a wonderful job getting our message out. Many thanks to our donors and the entire community for supporting this important work.

One of DAHS’s most cherished goals is to return Gordon Hall to its original configuration, replicating what Judge Samuel Dexter built in 1843, and to make it more accessible and welcoming to visitors at the events we host there. 

Working this summer with Hopkins Burns Design Studio and AR Brouwer, we have taken several big steps in that direction. The wood deck and stone foundation have been restored on the west porch and we have also added several beautiful new bathrooms. For Christmas we will decorate the porch facing the road. Community members will be welcome to come up and take Christmas photos with this festive backdrop.

We are looking forward to returning to our usual schedule of year-round activities at the Dexter Area Museum and Gordon Hall in the near future. But right now you can support your local Historical Society and your local restaurant by taking part in our fundraiser, A Harvest of Hope for Gordon Hall. We hope to see you there!