redding house of mary travers of peter, paul and mary holding estate sale this weekend with piano, 12-foot painting
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By Andrew DaRosa | Published on September 17, 2024
A cornerstone of the Greenwich Village folk revival of the 1960s, Mary Travers comprised one-third of the iconic folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary — who were responsible for penning songs like "Puff, the Magic Dragon" and "I Dig Rock and Roll Music," and popularizing a number of traditional folk ballads.
Travers, who resided in New York for a number of years, lived out the latter years of her life with her husband, Ethan Robbins, in Redding before her death in 2009 due to complications from leukemia.
Fifteen years after her death, her Redding home at 70 Limekiln Road is opening to the public for an estate sale on Friday and Saturday. The house itself went up for sale this summer and is currently listed as "under contract" by William Pitt and Julia B. Fee Sotheby’s International Realty.
The estate sale is being run by Lee Boffey of the Wilton-based Dancing Dog Estate Sales. Boffey, who has been running estate sales for the past 15 years, said that Robbins recently left the house to receive care. She elaborated that she had formed a friendship over the years with Travers' daughter, Alicia, which led to her hosting the estate sale.
"I used to love Peter, Paul and Mary when I was little so for me it's personal," Boffey said.
Up for sale are items that range from a piano owned by Travers to authentic African artifacts she had received a gifts from friends over the years. According to Boffey, the centerpiece item of the collection is a 12-foot painting of Travers draped in an American flag done by Polish expressionist painter Feliks Topolski. Boffey added that items are still being sorted through and priced out ahead of the sale.
Guests at the estate sale will be able to explore the kitchen, grounds and the great room, which was modeled after her New York City apartment and included a custom harvest table made for the space.
"She was a big entertainer, she loved her friends," Boffey said.
While many items, such as an early American blanket chest and a dark chestnut Welsh dresser, will be for sale, other items, like her platinum records, will not be available for purchase. Additionally, some areas of the house will be blocked off during the sale.
Boffey said that many personal items will not be for sale and instead will be archived to remain with other items related to Peter, Paul and Mary. Boffey added that she has talked with Peter Yarrow — Peter of Peter, Paul and Mary — about the sale and discussed items that are remaining in the archives.
"(Yarrow) is so concerned about archiving her memory and making sure it stays with Peter and Paul," Boffey said.
The sale will begin Friday at 9 a.m. with a sign up sheet available the night before. The sale will end on Friday at 3 p.m. before opening again on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Only 25 people will be able to enter at one time and Redding police will be on hand to help facilitate operations, according to Boffey. Boffey added that parking is "tough" in the area and that customers must follow signs of where and where not to park.