SYLVANIA - The Lorenzo Dow birthday celebration held at the Dell-Goodall house outside Sylvania brought in nearly 100 visitors and more than $700 to aid in the restoration of the 19th-Century home.
      In an effort to again breathe life into this project, the Briar Creek Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution held a birthday celebration and fundraiser honoring the history of the home and the legendary visit from a traveling preacher in the early 1800s.
      The house, built in 1815 in Jacksonboro by Seaborn Goodall, was home to the Goodall family for 23 years. It passed through several hands before Asbury A. (Azzy) Dell acquired the house in 1873. Since the home stayed in the Dell family for 92 years, it is now known as the Dell-Goodall House.
      In 1821, during a visit to Jacksonboro, preacher Lorenzo Dow was a guest in the home. When a confrontation with the rough and rowdy townspeople broke up Dow's church meeting, Goodall welcomed him into his home. Goodall was considered a prominent citizen of the town and was Clerk of Superior Court from 1820 to 1838.
      After several attacks from the lawless saloon-goers, Dow left town and proclaimed God's wrath on all who abode there, excepting the home and family of Seaborn Goodall. Within the next 15 to 20 years, natural disasters of all kinds destroyed everything in the town, save the Goodall home.
      When the Brier Creek Chapter of the DAR acquired the house in 1966, members adopted the restoration of the house as their bicentennial project in 1972. On October 1977, the home was entered on the National Register of Historic Homes.  After losing almost all the antiques that were donated in a burglary, the project lay dormant for a number of years, said Jannette Tew, preservation committee chairman.
      The renewed vision for the project included the recent open house and fundraiser, where visitors from all over stopped in to tour the home and hear storytellers recount the history of Lorenzo Dow and Seaborn Goodall outside under the canopy of trees.
      Other DAR members were found throughout the house discussing its architecture and living spaces.
      Ninety-seven people toured the house during the event, and $565 was raised through entrance fees and donations, said Tew.
      Another $97 was made through a raffle of a gift basket of antique glassware, donated by the Corner Cupboard of Sylvania, and $100 from prints sold of Janice Boucher's painting of the house. Prints can still be purchased for $20 each at the Soda Shop Gallery, Tew said. Tamisha Smith of Savannah won the drawing for the gift basket, she said.
      "We were very pleased with the turnout and donations from folks who came," said Tew.
      However, maintaining and moving forward with the project will take a good bit more in funding for the restoration to be a real success, she said. The Brier Creek Chapter will host a thrift sale on Nov. 19-20 downtown Sylvania across from the First Baptist Church parking lot.
      Any donations given for the restoration can be given in honor or in memory of loved ones, former DAR members, or veterans, for example, Tew said.