Event to benefit Wandle House in Brewster
Brewster Railroad YMCA closed in 1975 after falling into disrepair and was donated to the Brewster-Sugarcreek Township in 1976 by the Norfolk and Western Railway. It currently houses the Brewster-Sugarcreek Township Historical Society’s Museum and The Station restaurant.
The Brewster-Sugarcreek Township Historical Society will hold a special fundraiser this February.
The third annual quarter auction will be held Saturday, Feb. 8 as a fundraising event for the Brewster-Sugarcreek Township Historical Society’s Museum at the Wandle House. The auction will be held inside the Wandle House. The doors to the auction will open at 11:30 a.m. with the auction itself starting at 1 p.m.
“I think it’s a good opportunity to come out and have fun, and you’re also going to be able to support a good cause and help us preserve history in the area,” said Jennifer Limbert, vice president of the Brewster-Sugarcreek Township Historical Society. “It’s a good way of supporting us and have fun at the same time, and you’ll be able to see the museum.”
In a paddle auction, patrons will buy one or more numbered paddles. The first paddle purchased will be $5 with additional paddles costing $2 each. Items presented for auction will be marked with a bid price of one and up to four quarters. If a patron wants to bid on the item, they will put the bid amount into a bucket circulating throughout the room and hold up their numbered paddle. An auctioneer will then pull a numbered ball out of a cage. Whatever number is pulled, as long as they bid, gets the prize.
While there will be some ways to make change available at the event, Limbert recommends patrons bring their own quarters as they can “empty out those piggy banks.”
There also are some $30 “all-in” tickets available at the door, as well as for presale. The “all-in” ticket holder will be included in all drawings of items being auctioned and need not be present for the event.
There also will be a 50/50 drawing happening at the auction, and food will be available for purchase.
Limbert said usually around 90 people attend the event, and there are a lot of prizes that have already been donated so far from local businesses. “We’ve had a lot of the area business owners donate items to us, as well as some in Dover and Canal Fulton. We are still getting things in.”
Proceeds from the auction will be used to replace windows and maintain the historic house.
“We are prioritizing what needs to be done,” Limbert said. “We need a new roof, and we need new eaves. There’s just a lot of old building problems. We also have a caboose on the premises that is also going to need some repairs. We have a lot of things going on.”
The two-story u-shaped Wandle House was built in 1916 by the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway. Wandle is actually an acronym for the company. It was built with funds contributed by railroaders.
It was first called the Brewster Railroad YMCA. It contained a 62-room dormitory; housed a restaurant, movie theater and bowling alley; and was a community center for railroaders.
It was closed in 1975 after falling into disrepair and was donated to the Brewster-Sugarcreek Township in 1976 by the Norfolk and Western Railway. It currently houses the Brewster-Sugarcreek Township Historical Society’s Museum and The Station restaurant.
The Brewster-Sugarcreek Township Historical Society will continue having fundraisers throughout the course of the year to aid the museum. Also in February, they are pairing with Tattered and Worn to hold a wall-hanging/painting class. They also plan to take part in the yearly Community Garage Sale.