Packwood auctions continue | Local News

LEWISBURG — Items from the collection of the former Packwood House Museum continue to be auctioned off, with several auctions to be held into the spring.

The next auction of museum items is slated for Thursday, Jan. 19, at Pook and Pook Auctioneers and Appraisers, 463 E. Lancaster Ave., Downingtown. Online bidding can be done through PookLive, Bidsquare.com or Invaluble.com.

Following the Jan. 19 auction, an online only auction of items is slated for Feb. 10.

Jamie Shearer, vice president and auctioneer at Pook and Pook, said it costs the business around $50,000 to photograph and advertise auction items. The Feb. 10 auction is being held only online in order to help keep costs down.

Shearer said the auction starting Jan. 19 is part of a three-day cataloged Americana and international sale, featuring just over 1,000 lots. The pre-sale estimate on these lots is $80,000 to $120,000.

Shearer said lots of particular interest include stoneware, portraits, quilts a dower chest, elephants, a pistol and red ware.

Bidding for the Jan. 19 auction can be done via phone, by filling out the appropriate forms. A staff member will call the bidder a few lots prior to the one of interest going on the auction block. If interested, the telephone representative will then bid on the bidders behalf.

Absentee bids can also be placed, by filling out the appropriate paperwork, and a hard cap of the amount the bidder wishes to place.

With online bidding, Shearer said the screen allows participants to know where each bid stands.

There also will be approximately 40 quilts from the museum that will be sold in Pook and Pook’s April/May cataloged auction.

In September, Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Lewisburg received the assets of the Fetherston Trust — including the Packwood House Museum — in following the terms of the trust, and the last will and testament of Edith Fetherston.

Proceeds from the auctions — per the wishes of Fetherston — will be used to “ensure that Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish will continue as a beacon of Christian faith and practice in Union County for generations to come.”

Two previous online auctions were held in December. The sale featured hundreds of 18th- to 20th-century art, furniture, ceramics, glass, sculptures and more.

The sales of those auctions brought in more than $138,000 through Dovetail Auctions of Downingtown.

The properties located at 15 North Water St., Lewisburg, and a vacant lot to the rear ,are up for sale by RE/MAX Bridges Real Estate, at $675,000. The buildings total 15,350 square feet and encompass .34 acres. Real Estate Agent Ann Hilliard said the property has had several showings.

After living in various locations along the East Coast, the Fetherstons’ purchased their 27-room building as a retirement home in 1936.

Fetherston, who was born in Lewisburg, was a parishioner of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish. Upon John and Edith’s deaths in 1962 and 1972, respectively, the home was turned into a museum and opened to the public in 1976.

A previous press release stated the museum had experienced decreased attendance for more than a decade and was also negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to its operations permanently closing in October 2020.

As Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish is a separately incorporated entity from the Diocese of Harrisburg, none of the Packwood House Museum assets will be transferred to the diocese nor can they be used for the diocese’s Chapter 11 reorganization.

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