Dyer’s chocolate cakes may be impetus
to save Hardinsburg’s Joseph Holt home

How do you express appreciation to someone who has helped make restoration of a Kentucky Civil War mansion possible?

The answer – bake them a chocolate cake.

Hundreds of chocolate cakes later, Breckinridge County’s Susan Dyer has made a national name for herself. The president of the Friends of the Holt Home, Inc., has provided cakes to community and state leaders, U.S. Army officials and national politicians.

It’s become a delicious way of expressing thanks to all those who are helping make the Hardinsburg home of the nation’s first judge advocate general – Joseph Holt – a bright and shining Commonwealth landmark.

The 6,225-square-foot home, constructed during the 1850s, was in a terrible state of disrepair when Dyer, a former middle school teacher, stopped to view it in 1997. Since then, she has dedicated herself to seeking funds, organizations and people who are helping restore the structure as the new jewel in Kentucky’s Civil War crown.

Nearly $1.4 million has been raised through grants, tax credits and outright gifts. Renovation of the mansion’s exterior is nearly complete and work is progressing on restoring the interior to its 1850s elegance. It’s estimated that restoration will be completed within the next two years and the structure will be used for community events and is expected to be a national meeting location for Army JAG activities.

Joseph Holt, a Breckinridge County native, was President Abraham Lincoln’s Judge Advocate General (JAG) during the Civil War and was famous across the nation, particularly for his part in the trial of the president’s accused assassins.

What now is known as the Holt Cake first was baked and delivered by Susan to former Kentucky Heritage Council executive director David Morgan. In a conversation with Morgan, he shared a story with Dyer about a lady in Texas who was working there to save a historic home.

“If someone did something nice to help with the home’s restoration, she baked a cake and sent it,” Morgan related.

Susan liked the idea and adopted it as a small token of appreciation to those who were assisting with the Holt project. She used an old-fashioned recipe, froze the cake for several days, wrapped it in aluminum foil, placed it in a container and mailed it by priority mail. The response blossomed and the “reward” was sent “to anyone helping with the Holt project.”

The Holt Cake has been provided to individuals across the nation, Susan said, but has become somewhat expensive to deliver. Because of its weight, the delicacy now costs more than $18 to mail. But, despite the cost and time required to bake the cake, the task is worth it.

“It’s a great way to say ‘Thank You,’ you are appreciated,” Susan concluded.

Morgan, who declares that Dyer’s chocolate cake is the best he has ever eaten and who named the cake, is even more succinct.

“The Holt Cake may be the thing to save this home,” he said.