Dexter Historical Society pays off Gordon Hall, burns mortgage in effigy (PHOTOS)

By Jennifer Eberbach Special to The Dexter Leader

Members of the Dexter Area Historical Society held a special ceremony on Sunday to mark the recent ownership of Dexter's famed Gordon Hall. JENNIFER EBERBACH--WASHTENAW NOW

The historical society brought its last payment to the bank, this September.

At a ceremony on Sunday, Oct. 12, the mortgage was burned -- at least in effigy.

[ CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS ]

The historical society has been paying down a $900,000 mortgage, plus interest, since purchasing the 1840s Greek Revival home and surrounds from the University of Michigan, in 2006.

This year, Wally Fusilier, whose wife Bene is DAHS board president, posed a fundraising challenge to pay off the last $200,000. Donors contributed $100,000, which the Fusiliers matched dollar-for-dollar.

This is a dream come true, and now we are ready to move on, Bene Fusilier said after watching the mortgage burn.

With the loan out of the way, fundraising efforts can turn to restoring Gordon Hall to how Judge Dexter left it, in 1863, the year he passed away.

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Dexter Historical Society pays off Gordon Hall, burns mortgage in effigy (PHOTOS)