ROCKVILLE —
When historical Billie Creek Village goes up for auction at 10 a.m. today, the bidders will be considering three parcels of ground only.
However, in a change from the original advertisement of the auction, the contents of all buildings will not be sold as individual items. Instead, all building and the contents of each structure will be sold with the parcels of land.
The main village will be sold as Tract 1 along with the Beeson Covered Bridge and 19.17 acres in the auction conducted by Key Auctioneers. Tract 2 is comprised of 41.78 acres with a barn, farmhouse and other buildings, all contents of those structures, and the Leatherwood Station Covered Bridge, while Tract 3 is a 3.66-acre area used for parking behind the adjacent Billie Creek Inn, which is independently owned and not part of the sale.
Property owner Charlie Cooper said he feels that selling the village with all buildings including their contents is the best way to handle the sale.
“The idea is to try to keep the village as it was,” Cooper told the Tribune-Star, “and so hopefully it will stay as a historical village, and the new owner can open it up with the contents and make a go of it.”
Cooper, who purchased the financially struggling Billie Creek Village Inc. a few years ago in an effort to keep it operating, has said that at age 81, he feels too old to maintain the property with the attention it needs.
Jeff Doner of Key Auctioneers said the auction is a multi-parcel auction which will commence at 10 a.m. Bids will be taken for each of the three tracts. Then, bids will be taken for a combination of the tracts, and for the entire property. At the conclusion, the bids will be reviewed, and the best bid combinations will be presented to Cooper for acceptance or to be rejected.
“He is motivated to sell,” Doner said of Cooper.
Doner estimated that today’s sale will be concluded in 90 minutes or less.
The village has been up for sale most of the summer, and Cooper has said that several people have contacted him with interest in purchasing the property, but none with the right financial offer.
In September, Key Auctioneers conducted a sealed bid auction during a two-week period. Offers were submitted, but none were accepted.
Key project manager Veronica Hughes said she has reached out to several potential buyers of the property to see if there is interest in operating the village. One of those potential buyers was another historic village in the state, which did express interest in some of the buildings, but not in purchasing or operating the village as it is.
On Friday, the property was open for preview by potential bidders.
Mickey Rowe, of Indianapolis and Portland Mills, walked through the property thinking that all of the individual antiques and merchandise would be auctioned, as previously advertised.
“We came down to see what was left in the general store, with the idea of picking up a memento,” she said.
She was able to pick up a memento bookmark in the Covered Bridge Courier print shop, where printer Paul Collinson was working at a press as he’s done for the past 25 years.
Collinson, who lives 215 miles away in Illinois, said he has volunteered his time in the village every year during the Covered Bridge Festival, and he expected this year to be no different when he scheduled his vacation time. When he found out that the village was closed, however, he contacted Cooper and got permission to still work in the print shop during the bridge festival.
“I used to be here for all the big events,” said Collinson, who sported a handlebar mustache and wore his ink-mottled printer’s apron. He worked at an 1899 press, where he produced the keepsake bookmarks printed with the correct date. And he also demonstrated a linotype machine made in 1912, which at 100 years old still pumps out hot lead type on slugs to be set into galleys for printing production.
All of the village buildings were open for inspection on Friday. The 1913 schoolhouse looked as if the students and teacher had just left for the day, with chalk assignments still on the blackboard and skipping ropes for recess hanging in the foyer.
The general store remained stocked with its various items — children’s toys, quilts and blankets, and other old-fashioned necessities.
Strolling along the boardwalk and examining the buildings were Wes and Tara Worsham of Decatur, Ill. They said they heard about the sale on the Internet, and were “just here to look” on Friday.
Several Key Auctioneer representatives were on site Friday, giving tours and answering questions in advance of today’s sale.
Billie Creek Village is located east of Rockville on U.S. 36.
Reporter Lisa Trigg can be reached at (812) 231-4254 or lisa.trigg@tribstar.com. Follow her on Twitter @TribStarLisa.
Local & Bistate
Related Photos
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Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza Tour guides: Ted Pike and Chuck Saunders of Key Auctioneers talk outside of the Billie Creek Village General Store Friday during a preview day for Saturday's auction near Rockville.
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Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza History for sale: The school house at Billie Creek Village was on display for interested buyers to look over during a preview day Friday at the property near Rockville.
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Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza What's for sale is for sale: Interested parties could see what was up for auction during a preview day Friday at Billie Creek Village near Rockville.
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Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza Window shopping: Wes and Tara Worsham of Decatur, Ill., tour the grounds of Billie Creek Village during as preview of Saturday's auction near Rockville.
Discussion
Billie Creek Village goes to highest bidder today
Three tracts of land — complete with structures, contents — will be auctioned
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