Smyrna times., 1926-04-21
HOUSE ON DOVER GREEN SOLD
House Formerly the Office of Late
George V. Massey and Late George
NJ. Jones, Built During Revolution

No public sale in recent years has
created such interest as that of the
public Sheriff's sale held in Dover at
the front door of the Kent County
Court House Tuesday afternoon of
last week of the properties of the late
George M. Jones, of Dover, two of
which were in Dover and two in the
country, the latter being two small
farms in which Mr.. Jones during his
life time had been interested in. The
two Dover properties included the well
known house on Dover Green known
as eye Old House on Dover Green"
occupied for many years by the late
George V. Massey and the late Ma
thaniel B. Smithers and in recent
years by Mr.. Jones himself Much
speculation had been had ever since
the properties had been advertised at
public sale as to what they would
bring under the hammer, it being
known that there were mortgages to-
falling over $4,000 on the two build
ings and the wonder has been as to
what they would actually bring at
public SALE
The crowd at the sale was one Of
the largest ever seen in Dover and
bidding on the two properties had
been looked for from several sources,
and in this there was no disappoint-
ment, the moderate bidder, however,
dropping out when the office building
adjoining the Kent County Court
House on Dover Green, began to soar
to bids never dreamed Of. The Flor
ida speculation was no comparison to
the bidding on the office building
1t was announced by Attorney John
B. Hutton that there was mortgage
Of $500 on the office building of long
years standing and that the purchaser
would assume this mortgage in ad
dition to the price bid.
The bidding. started at $25OO and
within a few minutes had jumped to
$500 and then to $4,000 and when
$4,000 was reached people gasped, but
when a bid of $4,000 was placed and
then another of $4,000 all wondered
what would happen, no one seeming
to know at just what figure the build
/ ing would reach, especially when it
was known that there was but 27 feet
frontage and not over 80 feet depth.
The last bid was that of $5,575,
made by George NJ. Fisher, attorney,
it being struck off to him at the latter
figure which with the $500 mortgage
made the building cost $6,075.
With the office out of the way, the
residence of Mr.. Jones, on State street
adjoining the new Murphey Memorial
Presbyterian Church was next offered.
1t was announced by Attorney Hutton
that on this property there was a
mortgage with interest from January
l, 1926, amounting to $7,287, and that
the bidder would assume this mort
gage. The bidding on the residence
started at $500 and continued on until
$4,000 had been reached, the last and
successful bidder being Attorney John
P. LeFevre, supposedly for the Pres
byterian Church, who will use it as a
Manse as it adjoins the property Of
the Church. The total sale of the
house including the mortgage was
S11,287. The two country properties
being small farms west of Dover, one
of 21 acres, sold as the property of
Joseph C. Cowgirl, administrator of
Joseph c. Boggs, was purchased by
Morris Simon of Dover for $1,4O0 and
another farm Of twenty-eight acres
sold as the property of Frank Jackson
administrator of William B. Turner,
widow of William B. Turner, was also
purchased hy Morris Simon for 500.