Dolls, stuffed animals, glass bells and a musical clock are among collectible items bearing the famous Campbell’s soup brand logo that will hit the auction block Saturday as people can bid on the contents of Ligonier’s closed Campbell House Bed & Breakfast.
After suffering a health setback in February, owner Patti Campbell phased out operation of the inn she started in 1993.
When she bought the property on East Main Street, it housed a quilt shop and a motel. She said the oldest building dates back to about 1868. The small motel was added in 1955.
The auction marks a bittersweet occasion for Campbell. But, she said, “It has to be done. There’s so much stuff there, it’s unbelievable.”
The auction will be held outdoors beginning at 10 a.m. The list of available items ranges from kitchen appliances and linens to leaded glass lamps and antique furniture, along with merchandise remaining from the Campbell House gift shop.
A native of Jeannette, Campbell, now in her 70s, has been living in Virginia. She returned to the area for the recent Fort Ligonier Days festival and received a supportive welcome from the community.
“People came to see me and gave me gifts,” she said.
Campbell made sure to catch the festival’s parade — which is one of the highlights of the weekend event, along with battle reenactments at the modern reconstruction of 18th century Fort Ligonier. “The reenactors have always watched the parade from Campbell House,” she noted.
Over the years, Campbell said, many repeat B&B guests came to celebrate birthdays or anniversaries, and they soon became her friends.
“When you run a bed and breakfast, you get to be friends with the people,” she said. “They’re not just a name.”
Campbell doesn’t plan to be on hand to witness the fate of the many items that allowed her to run her bed and breakfast for so long and added to its charm.
“I couldn’t bear to see it,” she said.
Campbell said she has found buyers for the property but isn’t sure what they intend to do with it.
