Fort Seward barracks storage auction draws crowd both for a chance to look inside, and to discover old items

The Fort William H. Seward barracks live auction of storage items took place in Haines this past weekend. For many, it was a rare opportunity to see inside and experience some of the building’s 120 year history. Others were there to discover old items in hopes of repurposing and giving them new life.

A large crowd came out under Sunday’s sunny skies in Haines at the Fort Seward barracks building to see inside, and to bid in the live auction.

First up is the tour, part history and partly for people to see the piles of items that are up for auction. Ron Jackson was in line with about twenty others. 

“I’ve lived here 20 years and never seen inside!” 

The tour guides, wearing top hats, are family members of the original group of veterans who created the Port Chilkoot Company, which owns the property. The barracks housed US military personnel for roughly 40 years, spanning three floors plus a rifle range in the attic. 

Annette Smith parents were part of the founding group of veterans, and leads a tour up the original staircase. 

“These metal treads were put there because those guys had to race down two flights of stairs to do their business and get down on the green by 6 o’clock in the morning.”

After it was decommissioned in 1947, these former barracks were used for community events like the Strawberry Festival, which Smith remembers as a little girl. 

“My dad and Bud Sanstrom created a carousel, a merry-go-round,” said Smith. “And it was perfectly balanced so it didn’t need a motor. You’d just give it a push, and then the kids who were riding would grab on to the columns to keep it going. And it was way fun.”

But eventually it became community storage. There’s old furniture, army gear, barbershop chairs, an aqua-heater, an 8 foot tall harp case, and all kinds of boxed items, all abandoned and now gathered into large piles or lots.

“More army stuff in this lot, and you may notice the sawed off shotgun.”

The tour takes a quick walk through several rooms of these piles, and there’s no touching or rummaging allowed, then time for the auction of each pile or “lot.”

“I got a dollar anybody wanna go two? Two now Three? Three, four, five…”

Auctioneer Joanne Waterman ramps up the bidding, which ranges from $1 dollar to the maximum bid of $100  dollars.

One of the winners Courtney Kelly is wearing large sunglasses and a big smile. She bid for several lots.

“I’m uncertain,” she said with a laugh. “I’m gonna go check it out and see what I actually got. I was just looking for old furniture and things like that to restore…my house is full of a lot of repurposed stuff.”

After the auction, the winners head back inside for discovery. 

“It’s a survival suit? Oh my god! That’s actually, that’s wild.”

Jojo Goerner won two lots, for a total of $17 dollars. Besides the heavy duty survival suit, she is the new owner of a printing press, a bike and the harp case.

“I’m hoping to use it as a set piece for something.” she said laughing. “Like a theater piece… have it be like wheeled on to stage and pretend like it’s a harp and unveil and it’s a beautiful woman singing!”

The event is part of a larger effort to clear out the space for renovations. Tresham Gregg with the Port Chilkoot Company and was at a table soliciting ideas for the future of the building.

“A restaurant, a B&B, a film production studio, a museum or community event space,” he reads from the list. “We’re just hoping that something the whole community could benefit from could develop in the near future before the building falls apart.”

The Port Chilkoot Company said 24 of the 29 lots sold, and they raised over $2000, which will go toward clearing out the downstairs barracks kitchen and mess hall. Basically toward dump fees. They say they’re happy with the progress over a few short days, and more importantly, glad to inspire more community interest in the building.