Published: October 26, 2009 11:37 pm      

Highest bidder can buy historic Garrett property

OAKLAND — Lucky bidders may receive a historic treat this Halloween as a 300-acre Oakland property goes up for auction.

The property, located at 1057 Herrington Manor Road, is being auctioned by Joe R. Pyle Auction Services on Saturday at 10 a.m.

The house on the property, estimated at being more than 18,000 square feet, was commissioned by wealthy coal baron Carl Del Signore in 1986. Del Signore died shortly before the home was complete. The first family to live in the home was its current owners, Rob and Sharon Markwood.

“We’ve lived in the house since June of 1997,” said Sharon Markwood. “Our kids have grown up there.”

Markwood was enthusiastic about the auction. “That house lends itself to a lot of opportunities. Someone could buy it and live there, they could buy it and have it as an event center,” said Markwood. “We’d like to see it be an active place with lots of people able to enjoy it.”

The property, which has been split into several parcels, includes more than 50 acres of open pasture, a barn and an 11-acre lake with an island gazebo.

Pyle said that while the auction service does not disclose presale estimates in order to maintain auction integrity, “it’s probably going to surprise a lot of people how reasonable it will be.”

Markwood said she and her husband are moving because they want to be in the area to assist with their housing development, Cumberland Chase, located off U.S. Route 220 south of Cresaptown. The 2,000-acre development will include several hundred homes in a variety of price ranges. “We’re really excited about Cumberland Chase, and we think it’ll be a boost to Allegany County as well,” said Markwood.

Other valuable objects will also be up for auction, including a variety of sporting goods, two horses and an electric guitar autographed by James Brown.

“This auction kind of personifies Rob. There’s such a variety of items on this sale and that’s the type of person my husband is,” said Markwood. “There’s a little bit of everything in our world. The most fun thing, I think, is sharing it with people.”

Contact Cory Galliher at cgalliher@times-news.com.