A mysterious tunnel uncovered during the demolition of Dexter’s fire station has residents speculating about its origins.

Photo by Steve Wells

Note: Thank you to the contributor for their post and all who commented for making this an enjoyable and entertaining post on the Friends of Dexter Facebook page.

A Mysterious Find During Demolition

When a tunnel was uncovered during the demolition of Dexter’s former fire station, it set off a wave of speculation and excitement among residents. Standing about 7 feet tall and ending at a bricked-up wall, the tunnel’s purpose wasn’t immediately clear. Whispers of secret passageways, bootlegger tunnels, and the Underground Railroad quickly surfaced, adding an air of mystery to the discovery.

Community Theories Run Wild

In the Friends of Dexter Facebook group, residents shared theories ranging from the playful to the historic. “Jimmy Hoffa there??” joked one commenter, while another teased, “Meet ya down there in 15 mins to see if it goes under the road!! Bring your flashlight.” Others speculated about secret portals, dancing robots, and tunnels connecting long-lost landmarks. The most enduring rumor involved the Underground Railroad, with many pointing to Judge Dexter’s house and Gordon Hall as potential origins for the tunnel.

The Lore of the Underground Railroad

While the tunnel may not be a hidden escape route or portal to another world, the lore of the Underground Railroad remains an important part of Dexter’s identity. Gordon Hall, the home of Dexter’s founder Judge Samuel Dexter, is widely believed to have been a station on the Underground Railroad. Local stories persist of tunnels connecting historic homes and sites, fueling the town’s enduring fascination with its past.

A Link to Dexter’s Milling Past

According to group members familiar with the town’s history, the tunnel was part of a hydro system that channeled water from the Mill Creek dam to power the mill’s turbine. “That was the slew way to run water from the Mill Creek dam to the turbine in the mill building. It runs all the way under Main Street. The water then flowed back to Mill Creek. There was a large hole in the base of the building that used to hold the milling equipment,” explained one participant. Others noted that the millpond—removed 16 years ago—had once submerged parts of the park, with the dammed up water powering the mill’s operation.

History Chimes In

Nancy Van Blaricum of the Dexter Area Historical Society confirmed the tunnel as a remnant of Dexter’s industrious past, tied to the town’s milling history: “In the early 1930s, Henry Ford created the basement area and then moved the old mill on top of it, so this could have been for the water from the mill pond to run the mill wheel…I [was] shown another area by the fire chief that would have been under the Sheriff’s office. It looked like a possible site for the mill race to go through also.”

The Rise and Fall of Dexter’s Dam

From 1824 until 2008, what is now Mill Creek Park in Dexter lay under 20 acres of stagnant pond water. When Judge Samuel Dexter established his namesake settlement, he built a dam on a fast-moving section of the creek to power his sawmill, which later became a gristmill.  Henry Ford bought the old Mill Creek dam in 1929, replacing it with a stone dam to generate electricity for a small auto parts factory he planned to build in Dexter. The Great Depression hit, putting those plans on hold, never to be realized. Although rebuilt many times, there was a dam there until 2008.

In 1995, a recommendation from the MDNR suggested opening up the dam. By then, the pond had become a nuisance, filled with algae and bugs. The Village Council enthusiastically embraced the idea. The question was where to get the money.

The answer came ten years later when the bridge over the dam began to fail. In April 2005, MDOT allocated money to replace the aging bridge. The problem was that the bridge was structurally tied into the dam. But, who was responsible for the dam? Ford was the last owner on record. Did the car company own the dam? MDOT built the bridge. Did MDOT own the dam? Scio Township? Washtenaw County? Dexter? Nobody wanted to take ownership of a deteriorated dam. In the end, Dexter agreed to pay $270,000 to remove it.

A Tangible Piece of History

Ultimately, the tunnel represents a tangible link to Dexter’s milling era and Henry Ford’s efforts to restore and utilize water power during the early 20th century. Though the mystery has been solved, the excitement it generated reflects a shared appreciation for Dexter’s history—both real and imagined.

As one resident put it, “Let’s not let facts get in the way of a cool facebook post.” And perhaps that’s the best way to celebrate discoveries like this – as a mix of history, legend, and community wonder.