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Fontaine's Auction Gallery
Auction Gallery Office Hours:
Monday - Friday 9:00 - 5:00 pm
Phone: 413-448-8922
1485 W Housatonic St
Pittsfield, MA 01201 USA

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Civil War, Antique Firearms & Military Auction August 15 & 16 2009

 Starting at 11am

PRE-ORDER: FULL COLOR CATALOG $27 - Call 413-448-8922

 
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CIVIL WAR AUCTION IN THE PRESS

Battlefield treasures
History on the block
Eastover to auction off Gatling Gun, Civil War artifacts
By Benning W. De La Mater, Berkshire Eagle Staff
Updated: 05/27/2009 10:23:24 AM EDT

Wednesday, May 27
LENOX — It's called a Gatling Gun, and it made war-weathered men do an about-face and run like scared schoolchildren.

It had six barrels, pumped out more than 600 rounds per minute, and paved the way for the modern machine gun.

A surviving version from the 19th century is the centerpiece antique in the American Heritage Room Museum at Eastover Resort — but it won't be there for long.

The gun, along with hundreds of other Civil War artifacts, will be sold at auction this summer as the resort moves toward a closing date.

Eastover owner Dorothy H. "Ticki" Winsor said the decision to sell the museum's artifacts was made after the May 4 announcement that the resort will close in November due to increased operating costs and the slumping economy.

Winsor's late father, George J. Bisacca, opened Eastover as a recreational retreat in 1947. A Civil War enthusiast and artifact collector, Bisacca amassed more than 250 period items over the years and opened a museum inside the resort in 1961 to showcase the relics.

"I believe strongly that if someone has something beautiful and unique in their possession and can't use it properly, then it shouldn't belong to them," she said. "These artifacts should be with people who will treasure them."

The catalog is made up mostly of authentic Civil War pieces but also includes items from the Spanish-American War, World War II and several
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replicas.

There's a horse-drawn hearse complete with a coffin (no body), dozens of uniforms and rifles, cannon shells, drums, a half-used pack of matches, and hundreds of bullets.

It's been called one of the largest privately owned Civil War collections in the world and has been enjoyed by thousands of local schoolchildren and Civil War buffs alike.

Winsor said her father was an Italian immigrant who only made it past the ninth grade, yet had a deep passion for the war between the states. He bought and read any book he found on the subject and often went on excursions to track down relics from the period.

The auction will take place Saturday, Aug. 15, at Fontaine's Auction Gallery on West Housatonic Street in Pittsfield.

Auctioneer John Fontaine said this is the first time he has devoted an entire auction to war memorabilia. The initial reaction to the news in the collecting community, he said, has been "huge."

"We will have people from every part of the country coming to this auction," he said. "This is a once-in-a-century collection. It's an opportunity that will never happen again."

In addition to the Eastover items, Fontaine will auction off at least another 200 war antiques on consignment.

Early estimates on several of the Eastover items have already come in. The Gatling Gun, which is fully operable and dates to 1883, could fetch up to $300,000, and several of the cannons in the collection could top the $60,000 mark.

Many of those cannons supplied the "BOOM" during the Boston Symphony Orchestra's performance of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" during Tanglewood on Parade.

A BSO official could not comment Tuesday on what the organization will do if the cannons are not available.

Meanwhile, Fontaine has had several Civil War experts viewing the collection to document the items, including Richard Wilder, a former Smithsonian exhibit specialist who was hired by Bisacca to help build the museum.

For Wilder, 69, who used to re-enact Civil War battles, the auction is bittersweet.

"The museum is a key place in my life," he said. "This was something I worked on for years, so it's like saying good-bye to a good friend.

"George wanted the museum to tell the story of the Civil War. It was his hobby, but it was also his legacy."