Beechwood Historical Society Hosts Annual Soup and Salad Fundraiser April 11

The only two surviving historical public buildings at the center of Beechwood are a 1912 church still under restoration and a 1914 schoolhouse the Beechwood Historical Society purchased from Iron River Township for $1. Keeping both standing costs money, and on April 11 the society is asking the community to help cover it over soup, salad, and a 50-50 raffle.

The Soup and Salad Bar fundraiser runs from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Beechwood Hall, 178 Beechwood Store Road in Iron River Township, approximately 7.5 miles west of Iron River on U.S. 2, then left at the posted signs. Admission is $10 per person for an all-you-can-eat dinner that includes a variety of soups, salad fixings, bread, dessert, and a beverage. A 50-50 raffle drawing will also be held during the evening.

Proceeds go toward the maintenance and preservation of those two structures: Beechwood Hall and the Bethany Lutheran Church. The society is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded primarily through membership dues and individual donations.

The society acquired Beechwood Hall from Iron River Township in 2011 for $1; the township board simultaneously donated the $10,000 it would otherwise have spent demolishing the structure. The hall was originally the Beechwood School, built in 1914. Its restoration was completed in 2017, and it now serves as the community's primary gathering space for events throughout the year.

The Bethany Lutheran Church, built in 1912, is a more recent and still-active project. The society took it over in 2017. The church's basement has since been converted into archive storage for Beechwood's historical records and artifacts, but the broader restoration remains ongoing. Treasurer Charlotte Bofinger confirmed in October 2024 that both buildings remain in active use.

Both structures stand in an unincorporated community that informally spans roughly 25 square miles plus portions of the Ottawa National Forest. Iron County, established in 1885 and named for its iron ore deposits, once hosted approximately 70 iron mines before the Panic of 1893 triggered their near-wholesale closure. Today the county's economy runs on forestry across some 425,000 acres, manufacturing, and tourism, which makes the preservation of its early-20th-century built heritage directly relevant to its economic identity.

The April dinner is an established part of the society's annual fundraising calendar; the same format ran in April 2024. The society also holds a Holiday Art, Craft and Bake Sale each November with Beechwood Friendly Neighbors and publishes a quarterly newsletter. With the church restoration still underway, the proceeds from April 11 will go toward exactly the kind of steady, ongoing maintenance costs that keep a volunteer-driven preservation effort viable.