The Gordon and Chandler families had experienced severe hardships during their recent Journey to Lincoln- town and hardships were still in store for them. They were yet to he buffeted by forces that seemed to challenge their right to a foothold in the new township. They had been assailed by violent storms through weary days while on their way to it. Now that they had safely reached it a more severe trial awaited some of their numbers. While in the township in the autumn of 1804, Amos Gordon purchased a piece of land just within the limits of the present town of Dexter, about two miles away from his own land, for his son Moses Gordon. A small opening had been made upon it, and a cabin of logs with a bark roof had been built.

This would shelter his family until better accommodations could be provided. In the month of March, after they had recovered from the fatigue of their recent journey and a hard crust had formed upon the surface of the deep snow, Moses Gordon, assisted by other members of the family, embraced the opportunity to haul his furniture, household goods and other needful things to his cabin on a hand-sled. Having finished this work, he repaired to the little cabin early one bright morning and arranged his scanty supply of furniture so as to give the one solitary apartment as cheerful an aspect as possible. After building a fire in the stone fire-place and guarding it, as he believed, from danger of accident, he returned to get Mrs. Gordon to introduce her to the new home. The latter hastily preparing herself, they started on their morning's walk. The pure, bracing air of the early spring morning imparted buoyancy to their movements and inspired courage for the encounter with the hardships immediately before them, and inspired hopes of the "better time coming." A brisk walk carried them to the little opening which two hours earlier had contained all their worldly goods, when, to their utter dismay, the site of their little cabin presented nothing but a heap of blackened and smoldering ruins. Their household goods, their wearing apparel, their scanty supply of food, all the articles for use and convenience that had been made by Mrs. GordonŐs own hands--all these things had disappeared in a brief hour.

This sudden change of prospect was too much even for the cheerful, the hopeful, the courageous Mrs. Gordon. She fainted and fell upon the icy crust that covered the snow.

When consciousness returned, she found herself sitting upon an old chest that had been left outside the cabin because it was worthless. It was the only thing that had escaped the fire. A sickening smoke was curling up from the blackened ruins, as if in mockery of her grief. Mr. and Mrs. Gordon returned wearily to Amos Gordon's to remain until other arrangements for housekeeping could be made.

During the spring of 1805, Mr. Gordon selected, and afterwards purchased lot ten, range five. The year following he felled six acres of trees on the lot and built a house on the site now occupied by the Murdock buildings. The boards which covered the house were hauled from Elkinstown (Dexter) with an ox-team. It required two days to go to that place and return with a load, although the distance was only five miles.

Early the following autumn he moved his family into the house. The boards with which the house was covered, shrunk by the heat of the fire in the large stone fire-place, leaving openings for the winds to enter unbidden. The members of the family would sometimes awaken in the morning to find that wind and snow had provided an extra covering for their beds. Thus it was with many of the houses of the earlier settlers.