Pre-Civil War home, antiques up for auction this weekend

Photos: Antiques, home to be auctioned

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Nick Graham/A home on Cincinnati-Dayton Road built in the mid-1800's along with numerous antique items will be auctioned off this weekend in Middletown, Ohio.

By Eric Robinette, Staff Writer Updated 8:37 AM Friday, July 24, 2009

Inside the library of a house at 2501 Cincinnati-Dayton Road lies a paperback co-written by Middletown basketball legend Jerry Lucas called “The Memory Book.”

The title could very well refer to the house itself. Built before the Civil War, the home was owned by Joyce and Kenneth Hinkle, who died in February and May of this year, respectively. Their daughters, Vicki Wannemacher and Valerie Pfeiffer, are auctioning off the contents at 10 a.m. July 24 and 25, and the property at noon July 25.

“We hope a nice family buys the house and preserves it,” said Wannemacher, the wife of hot-air balloon pilot James Wannemacher.

The house has 11 rooms, five fireplaces, and 4,152 square feet of living space on 2.3 wooded acres. Most of the flooring is original, Pfeiffer said, and so are some of the doors.

Built in 1845 by Pennsylvania farmer William Culbertson, the home has changed hands several times. A 1979 Journal article about the house was written when Dr. Martin Rush and his wife, Betty, were the owners.

The Hinkles were avid collectors, filling the house with all kinds of antiques. In a tent set up outside the home this week were some two dozen spinning wheels and looms.

And that only begins to scratch the surface of what’s for sale. “Almost anything you can imagine” is there, Wannemacher said.

Before Kenneth Hinkle died, his daughters tried to persuade him to have an auction. He demurred, saying he didn’t think he had enough for a garage sale.

“Dad, in the room you’re living in, there’s more stuff than in most people’s homes,” Pfeiffer replied.

A sampling: a chair from Harvard. Two antique organs. Chairs made by Hitchcock, a valued furniture maker. Fifty-five cameras. An ad for the Poland china sale in Oct, 29, 1906, in Dayton. A Peer-o-Lite glass window for rear curtains in Ford cars.

And while she’s not up for auction, there’s also the pet raccoon, Kiera, who comes right up to humans without fear, trilling away.

The sisters don’t know how much the property and its contents will fetch, but auctioneer Delbert Cox said it will be one of the biggest in his 42-year career.

Not that it’s easy for Pfeiffer and Wannemacher to part with so many memories. Wannemacher choked back tears at the finality of it all.

“We’re going to have a hard time at the auction, but we’re going to be there,” she said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2836 or erobinette@coxohio.com.

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