DEXTER TO HOST CIVIL WAR ENCAMPMENT
Gordon Hall Estate Provides Historic Backdrop
Dexter, MI (April 29, 2011) -- The Dexter Area Historical Society & Museum has announced Civil War Days at Gordon Hall, to run Friday, June 10 through Sunday, June 12, rain or shine. The event will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War and will be hosted at the historical estate of Judge Samuel Dexter, west of the village downtown. If successful, the event could become a featured component of the group’s fundraising calendar.
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A detailed daily schedule will be released soon. Look for it online at www.dextermuseum.org and in your local paper. Join us on Facebook to keep up-to-date easily -- just search on “Civil War Days at Gordon Hall”.
FRIDAY EVENING
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Festivities will open Friday evening with The Towne Band performing a free concert on the front lawn of Gordon Hall. The group will wear period dress and play a typical 1860 program using Civil War era instruments. A narrative will accompany the music. Visitors are asked to bring blankets or chairs for seating.
FEATURED PARTICIPANTS
Excitement is already building for the arrival Saturday afternoon of President and Mrs. Abraham Lincoln. At Gordon Hall, the President will address the crowd bringing greetings from Washington. The first couple will be honored guests at a special dinner Saturday evening under tent on the grounds. After dinner, the President is scheduled to end his day with a visit to the troops thanking them for their service and to encourage their continued perseverance. It is a once-in-a-lifetime event not to be missed. A limited number of reserved tickets for the dinner and lantern tour of the encampment are selling quickly but remain available. Contact Donna Fisher at donnadlf@gmail.com or 734-649-5169.
The heart of the event will be the participation of both the military and civilian encampments of the 4th Michigan Regiment, Company A. This popular and dedicated unit of re-enactors will be open for public visits Saturday and Sunday. Scheduled artillery firings will echo throughout the area during the event.
SATURDAY
Saturday’s lineup also includes living historians, minstrel music, a poet/bard, and a period fashion review with tea. Lunch and supper will be available for purchase and reflect period fare.SUNDAY
A morning service and gospel sing will begin the program on Sunday. Activities of the day also include a pie auction, pig roast, old time baseball game, and horseshoe contest. The day will wind down with the announcement of contest winners and a mock mortgage burning.
ALL WEEKEND
Members of The Sons of Union Veterans will be on-site to assist local families researching their own connections to Civil War soldiers. A Look-Alike Contest promises on- going fun through the weekend seeking the “best” Judge Samuel Dexter, Millicent Dexter, and Harrison Jeffords.
Other activities spanning both days will include the sewing of a period flag children’s games a scavenger hunt, and storytelling.
Saturday and Sunday will close with the reading of the “roll” of local Civil War soldiers and the playing of “Taps” to pay homage to their sacrifices and those of their families.
ABOUT THE DEXTER AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY & MUSEUM
Located in the Village of Dexter, Michigan, the Dexter Area Historical Society and Museum serves as western Washtenaw County's link with history. The group was founded in 1971 and owns and operates a museum and the nearby historic Gordon Hall, the 1840’s estate of the community’s founding Samuel Dexter family. DAHSAM is a registered 501(c)3 non- profit organization. Further information can be found on the Society’s website at www.dextermuseum.org.
