Material and mementos auctioned at old Maugansville Elementary School

August 07, 2008|By ERIN CUNNINGHAM

MAUGANSVILLE -- About a dozen old televisions, a scale and cafeteria tables were among the first items to go during an auction Wednesday at Maugansville Elementary School.

The sale included items from Maugansville not being moved to a new school built behind the existing facility, said Jennifer Hayes, the school's business manager. She said some auctioned items came from other public schools in Washington County.

"It was unusable items, or items that aren't needed," Hayes said.

A similar auction was held at Pangborn Elementary in June before it was torn down. Officials are preparing to demolish the old Maugansville Elementary building later this month.

New Pangborn and Maugansville elementary schools are opening this month, along with a new Rockland Woods Elementary built south of Hagerstown.

About 100 people attended Wednesday's auction.

Kitty Chamos of Maugansville, whose maiden name is Martin, went to school at Maugansville Elementary in the 1950s. Her father also went to school there, and both of Chamos' daughters are graduates.

"We came to see if we could find a chalkboard," Chamos said.

Her daughter, Kathy Reeder, owns Hempen Hill BBQ Bar & Grill and the family wanted a chalkboard to write the day's specials on.

Chamos said they were also looking for "mementos" from their time at the school.

"Maybe a desk or a chair," she said. "I'm really sad they're going to tear all of this down."

Chamos' daughter, Julie Gilbert, a manager at Hempen Hill, said Wednesday was the first time she'd been back in the elementary school since she attended in the 1970s.

"It's totally different walking in the (empty) hallways," Gilbert said.

Hayes said that money raised at Wednesday's auction, conducted by J.G. Cochran Auctioneers & Associates LTD, will go to a general account for Washington County Public Schools.

The minimum bid for items was $5.

Amanda Luhn and Jeannette Dan, both of Hagerstown, were looking for items that could be used at Heritage Academy, where Luhn's daughter attends school. Both women are alumni of the Hagerstown school.

"We're looking to see if there's anything we could use there," Luhn said.

They saw some wooden storage units, tables and filing cabinets they said they might bid on.

Hayes said that some, like Chamos, where there to buy a piece of the old school they grew up in.

"A lot of people are here to get a little memory of their time here," she said.

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