Surviving UFOs and Tornadoes; Dexter, Michigan: 1900-1940s

The town of Dexter might sit quietly in Washtenaw County, but the town has plenty of background to keep tongues waggin' for a long time.

First of all, the area was originally called 'Mill Creek Settlement' and later named after judge & land speculator Samuel W. Dexter, who kicked things off when he bought land here in 1824.  The judge became the first postmaster two years later and the first store opened in 1830.

FAST FACTS:
1827: First sawmill
1838: Woolen mill
1844: Grist mill
1855: Incorporated as a village
1866: Cider mill

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That cider mill is known as the longest family-owned and operated one ever since. For approximately 140 years, the Dexter Cider Mill – sitting on the banks of the Huron River – has had customers from all over the lower half of Michigan, driving out of their way to get jugs of their cider.

Samuel Dexter's house was built just northwest of the village in the 1840s and named 'Gordon Hall' for Sam's mother's family. It has been said that Dexter was a stop along the Underground Railroad and that the Dexter mansion was a place of refuge for runaway slaves. The coffee shop in town indeed has a tunnel in the basement where slaves would hide.

Then there was the infamous UFO sighting in 1966 – an occurrence that made national news, even reported by CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite. According to an earlier article of mine, “Truck driver Frank Mannor claimed to have seen a pyramid-like UFO land in a swamp in the small Michigan town of Dexter. The town organized a search party and even the local cops got involved...Congressman Weston Vivian coaxed the U.S. Air Force to send out an expert (who) came to Dexter to investigate.....In what would become a huge joke in later years, (he) claimed what the fine folks of Dexter were seeing was none other than swamp gas.”

After surviving a massive tornado in March 2012, the Village of Dexter officially became a city on November 20, 2014.

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