Dexter Area Historical Society
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Museum
3443 Inverness Street Dexter, MI 48130 The Museum is now open Friday and Saturday afternoons 1-3. We welcome researchers and donations. To contact us send an email to DexMuseum@aol.com |
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Gordon Hall
8311 Island Lake Road Dexter, MI 48130 Gordon Hall is open during special events and by appointment only. See below for construction update. |
Letter from the President:
Happy Summer!
It is great to see the flowers blooming and trees budding. Both the Museum and Gordon Hall are also coming into a fruition - new improvements at Gordon Hall and new displays at the Museum. Many members have been working very hard at both buildings to welcome spring openings.
Our Historical Society has also been blooming - we will celebrate fifty years this year as a society. In case you didn’t know, we were the first established historical society in Michigan! We have had fifty years of strong support which has resulted in our owing two buildings. Pretty amazing!
Thank you to all of our members and the community for your tremendous support.
Thanks,
Beverly Hill
President of the Dexter Area Historical Society
Dexter Area Historical Society
3443 Inverness Street Dexter, MI 48130
734-426-2519
It is great to see the flowers blooming and trees budding. Both the Museum and Gordon Hall are also coming into a fruition - new improvements at Gordon Hall and new displays at the Museum. Many members have been working very hard at both buildings to welcome spring openings.
Our Historical Society has also been blooming - we will celebrate fifty years this year as a society. In case you didn’t know, we were the first established historical society in Michigan! We have had fifty years of strong support which has resulted in our owing two buildings. Pretty amazing!
Thank you to all of our members and the community for your tremendous support.
Thanks,
Beverly Hill
President of the Dexter Area Historical Society
Dexter Area Historical Society
3443 Inverness Street Dexter, MI 48130
734-426-2519
We always welcome your interest. Please call or email us with questions, suggestions, or feedback. If you would like to donate:
· You can donate securely online by selecting DONATE below.
· You can mail a check to DAHS at the address given below.
· If your employer will match your gift, please enclose your matching gift form.
· To discuss a bequest, a donation via a Required Minimum Distribution, or some other form of planned giving, please contact Caryl Burke at 734-476-5232 or caryleburke@gmail.com.
DAHS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and your donation is therefore tax deductible to the extent provided by law. We are run entirely by volunteers, so your full donation is applied to the work that we do.
· You can donate securely online by selecting DONATE below.
· You can mail a check to DAHS at the address given below.
· If your employer will match your gift, please enclose your matching gift form.
· To discuss a bequest, a donation via a Required Minimum Distribution, or some other form of planned giving, please contact Caryl Burke at 734-476-5232 or caryleburke@gmail.com.
DAHS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and your donation is therefore tax deductible to the extent provided by law. We are run entirely by volunteers, so your full donation is applied to the work that we do.
Gordon Hall Update
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The first phase of Gordon Hall renovation is complete and it looks great! We contracted A. R. Brouwer Company, LLC for the addition of three bathrooms on the ground floor, a room on the second floor and replacement of the back porch with a replica of the original. In addition, work has been done on the North Parlor including restoring the original 1840 floors and painting the walls. |
Gordon Hall has a nice new look and is ready to host events. Please see our event page or contact Bene Fusilier at benefusilier@att.net or 734-426-8972 to book your date today.
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These pictures show some of the completed work by the contractor as well as the work done by volunteers to remove carpet and plywood in the North Parlor. It took crowbars to remove the many nails that were used to hold down the plywood! The stairway was added in 1951 by the U of M to access the two upper apartments, so we just removed the carpet from them. Our plans are to continue restoring the floor which we hope to show off on September 11th and 12th during our special 2021 Gordon Hall Days. |
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Gordon Hall Milk House
Thank you to the Ann Arbor Kiwanis for awarding us a grant to complete the steps for the milk house at Gordon Hall. When we open, besides our new improvements at Gordon Hall, you will be able to visit the milk house and go down to the basement where they stored meat and produce.
Exciting tours will await when we can have visitors.
Exciting tours will await when we can have visitors.
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Gordon Hall Renovation Update
We are excited about the completion of Phase I of our renovation plan. We appreciate all the help and support we have received from the community. If you would like to donate to help with the next phases of Gordon Hall renovation you can use our Pay Pal button above or send a check marked “Gordon Hall Rehabilitation” to
Dexter Area Historical Society
3443 Inverness
Dexter, Michigan 48130
If you have questions, please call Caryl Burke at 734 476-5232
Thank you!!
Dexter Area Historical Society
3443 Inverness
Dexter, Michigan 48130
If you have questions, please call Caryl Burke at 734 476-5232
Thank you!!
Membership and Volunteers:
We have many opportunities for volunteers and welcome your participation!
Click here for a link to the membership and volunteer form.
We have many opportunities for volunteers and welcome your participation!
Click here for a link to the membership and volunteer form.
Dexter Historical Museum
The museum is now open for visitors every Friday and Saturday 1-3. Come in and you'll see that we have been busy! The "Bats in the Belfry" campaign allowed us to restore the belfry AND paint the entire exterior of the building! We also held two garage sales and a Holiday Sale thanks to the Dexter Heritage Guild and gift shop. The proceeds from the sales were used to purchase two large handsome display cabinets for the main display room along with lighting for them. The downstairs hallway has been painted and we have a new kitchen display.
Upcoming Events
Golden Anniversary Celebration and Gordon Hall Days!
Save the date – September 10-12, 2021
The Dexter Area Historical Society is planning an event combining our traditional Gordon Hall Days with a golden anniversary celebration. The DAHS was formed in 1971 and we will honor that milestone with a Friday night event including music and dancing, presentations and more. Then we’ll continue on Saturday and Sunday with Gordon Hall Days events such as craft displays, tours of Gordon Hall, car show, and much more.
Details will follow, but be sure to save the date!
We are also planning a special DAHS 50 year anniversary celebration at the museum this summer.
Christmas at the Mansion 2020
We were unable to hold our annual Christmas at the Mansion event in 2020, but we did decorate the porch and encouraged people to stop by for photos. We look forward to bringing our traditional events (including Santa, making gingerbread houses and touring the Christmas Village collection) back for the holiday season in 2021.
Fall Fundraiser 2020
A Harvest of Hope for Gordon Hall
A Harvest of Hope for Gordon Hall
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The DAHS Harvest of Hope for Gordon Hall fundraiser at the Fillmore of Dexter was a great success, earning over $15,000 to support the continued restoration of Gordon Hall! |
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Coley O’Brien and his Fillmore staff prepared 119 carryout dinners which were then served by costumed DAHS volunteers. Jan Lyons graciously designed a stunning Fall display to greet supporters as they arrived for their carryout dinners.
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We want to extend a very sincere thank you to our Dexter Area Historical Society members, our sponsors and to the Dexter community for their continued support of our ongoing restoration efforts at our local historical treasure, Gordon Hall!
The Bob and Jan Lyons Foundation
The Fillmore Bar & Grill
7954 Ann Arbor Street Dexter, Michigan 48130 |
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BATS IN THE BELFRY CAMPAIGN A HUGE SUCCESS!
We are so excited to announce that we raised almost $25,000 from over 100 donors to fix the church belfry and paint the outside of the Dexter Historical Museum. Thank you to all donors for your fantastic support. Donors of $50 or more received a hand-made facemask with a bat design to commemorate their involvement in this amazing campaign. Dexter history never looked better than with a fresh coat of paint! Picture caption: Bev Hill-DAHS President, Ceci Riecker-Batty Campaign Chair, and Caryl Burke-Mask Creator Extraordinaire, show off the newly painted Museum and Belfry. Look closely at the bat fabric on the masks! |
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Christmas at the mansion 2019 was a great success! Thanks to all who participated! Winter Wonderland hosted almost 100 guests on Friday evening. There were over 600 folks during the day on Saturday to visit with Santa and build gingerbread houses. On Sunday we served two capacity seatings for tea with Katherine Dexter McCormick. And we had a good crowd with good sales at the Museum bazaar. |
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Fall Dinner 2019
Our September 21st fundraising dinner sponsored by St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Chelsea was well attended by many generous supporters of Gordon Hall and we earned over $37,000 . Our sincere thank you to Nancy Graebner, CEO and the staff of the hospital as well as the generous event sponsors, donors and attendees! The Gordon Hall restoration moves forward with your wonderful support! |
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The Dexter Area Historical Society (DAHS) is a nonprofit organization in Dexter, Michigan, which supports the preservation of the history of the Dexter area. DAHS owns and operates two properties: the Dexter Area Museum and Gordon Hall.
The DAHS board meets on the first Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM at the museum.
Dexter Museum
Located in the Village of Dexter, Michigan the Dexter Area Historical Museum serves as western Washtenaw County's link with history. The museum is housed in the former St. Andrew's United Church of Christ built in 1883. In addition to numerous artifacts, the museum contains a large display area, a genealogical library, a local history library and the Corner Gift Shop. The museum is open May - November on Friday and Saturday afternoons.
The Dexter Heritage Guild is the fundraising group for the Musem.
Museum and Heritage Guild information
Historic Gordon Hall
Built in the 1840's Gordon Hall is owned and operated by the Dexter Area Historical Society. The society puts on events at Gordon Hall throughout the year to raise funds for the rehabilitation of the building. The venue may also be rented for weddings and other events.
Gordon Hall history and event scheduling
The DAHS board meets on the first Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM at the museum.
Dexter Museum
Located in the Village of Dexter, Michigan the Dexter Area Historical Museum serves as western Washtenaw County's link with history. The museum is housed in the former St. Andrew's United Church of Christ built in 1883. In addition to numerous artifacts, the museum contains a large display area, a genealogical library, a local history library and the Corner Gift Shop. The museum is open May - November on Friday and Saturday afternoons.
The Dexter Heritage Guild is the fundraising group for the Musem.
Museum and Heritage Guild information
Historic Gordon Hall
Built in the 1840's Gordon Hall is owned and operated by the Dexter Area Historical Society. The society puts on events at Gordon Hall throughout the year to raise funds for the rehabilitation of the building. The venue may also be rented for weddings and other events.
Gordon Hall history and event scheduling
Locations
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Museum HoursMay through November
Friday and Saturday afternoons from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM Gordon Hall is open during special events and by appointment only. |
