Contents of White Birches lodge at Follensby Pond sold at public auction

By KIM SMITH DEDAM

TUPPER LAKE --The rapid-fire lilt of the auctioneer's voice raced through the tents. And piles of Adirondack history were cast to the four winds.

Private contents of the sprawling White Birches lodge at Follensby Pond -- amassed over a century by two wealthy owners -- took five hours to sell, down to the last rustic trinket.

Remnants of the Great Camp's antique telephone system (which still worked a few days earlier), ice-box amenities and stuffed game adornments were relieved of the great room, kitchen, boathouse and 23 lodge rooms that slept 27.

Spread out on tables, 100 years of mystery seemed solved. Ghosts of Adirondack glory days escaped from drawers that stilled smelled of wind-blown linen.

An ancient stillness clung to Navaho rugs used to cover the camp walls. Two perfect handmade Theodore Hanmer (father of legendary boatbuilder Willard) guide boats sold in a wild 10 minutes for $24,000 apiece.

The buyer quietly declined interviews.

A starred-and-striped six-foot wooden shield molded to fit the stern of an 1812 warship, literally a piece of American history, went for $18,000. And dozens of pieces of L&JG Stickley arts and crafts furniture fetched anywhere from $5,000 to $12,000.

An inkwell into that Calvin Coolidge likely once dipped a pen sold for $4,750.

The original leather mailbag, delivered daily by boat, created a frenzy.

"Hey Doug, check inside that thing," auctioneer Kip Blanchard quipped between bids that closed at $5,500.

A grizzly bear rug fetched just over $1,000.

And a lion pelt rug, its head attached and frozen in a 100-year-old roar sold for thousands more.

A 1956 ChrisCraft wooden motorboat wooed a buyer for $28,000.