ASHLAND — Can you guess what career involves learning tongue twisters in order to speak quickly, developing a chant is vital to success, and the person needs to be able to speak anywhere from 250-400 words a minute?
This line of work also requires a person to possess good showmanship, sales ability, knowledge of laws and finance and some serious self-confidence.
Laryngitis is definitely not a friend to this occupation either.
If you guessed “politician” you are wrong. If you guessed “auctioneer” you would be correct and the Dilgard family in Ashland has left quite a legacy in this area of work. According to the National Auctioneers Association, public auctions in the United States were around well before the founding of our nation.
They became commonplace during the Civil War when military officers sold seized property to the highest bidder and that’s why some auctioneers were referred to as “Colonel.”
Tobacco auctioneers from the mid-1800’s were very skilled and may have developed the fast-talking auctioneering style that is unique to the United States. Selling at auction was the fastest and most efficient means to convert assets into cash at that time.
Newton E. Dilgard, Jr. (1904-1976) grew up in the Lakeville/Big Prairie area and entered the Army Air Corp serving as an aircraft mechanic. He wanted to be a pilot but couldn’t because he wore glasses.
Newt had a nose for business though and returned to Ashland to start a family.
He married Hester Hassinger and they eventually had four children, Byron, Phyllis, Janet and Richard.
Newt started his own business running a bread route. He picked up bread at the Loudonville Bakery and delivered throughout the area, including the Ashland County Home. He later sold his bread route to Russell Newcomer and started selling Motorist Mutual insurance part-time while he worked in the maintenance department at Westinghouse in Mansfield.
He then started Dilgard Insurance in 1934 out of his home. But it wasn’t long until Newt left Westinghouse and obtained a real estate license. For a time, Newt sold real estate at MacKellar Realtor Agency located at 18 East Main Street.
In part of the 1940’s and 50’s, Newt and his family lived in Mifflin and he served as a Justice of the Peace. In 1953, he decided to attend Reppert Auction School in Indiana and became a licensed auctioneer. This brought Newt full circle in the insurance, real estate and auctioneering businesses.
In 1957, his eldest son Byron “Barney” graduated from the same auction school at the age of 27 and the business was renamed Dilgard & Son Auctioneers. In 1959, he moved his office from his home to 46 West Second Street.
In 1960, Newt’s youngest son, Richard “Dick” also graduated from Reppert Auction School at the age of 16. Many auction-goers found it interesting that such a young man could be an auctioneer.
They were quickly drawn to his chanting, humor and sales skills. Newt then changed the name of his business to Newt Dilgard & Sons Real Estate, Insurance and Auctioneers. In 1963, the business moved to the Farmers Bank Building in downtown Ashland and became the Dilgard Agency.
In 1972 Newt retired and Barney took over the business. At that time, it was located in its present location at 135 Union Street. Barney sold the Dilgard Insurance Agency to the Ferguson family and it is still in operation today. In 1997, Barney sold the auctioneering and real estate portions of the business to Bill Stepp who now operates it under the name of Dilgard Auctions and NextHome Next Stepp.
In the early days, living the life of an auctioneer wasn’t always fun and games for the Dilgard men. The work often involved setting sale items up in the early mornings and long days were worked over many holidays and weekends. Heavy lifting ability and organizing skills were a must for business success. Many family gatherings were missed over the years.
But all the while, the three auctioneers had fun while they did their work, often dressing in matching clothing such as Eisenhower jackets, blazers, and country-western cut clothing. Dick added the dress cowboy hat and made it a signature look.
As a business owner, Barney built a strong reputation of honesty, integrity, and business savvy, just like his father. He was a community-minded man who was involved in many charitable organizations including the Ashland Masonic Lodge, American Red Cross, Dale-Roy School and the Good Shepherd Home, just to name a few. Barney was also named to the Ohio Auctioneers Hall of Fame in 1992 and the National Auctioneers Hall of Fame in 2002. He passed away in 2010.
Dick carries on the family business tradition today and continues to work as a successful auctioneer and real estate agent. Like his father and brother, he also possesses a strong sense of service to the community. Dick recalls the early days of the auctioneering business when they started out with a cashier who used a hand-operated adding machine and card table for tracking bids. There were no numbered bid cards back then and they used the customer’s last name to keep sales records.
The auction clerk wore a nail apron and carried coins to make change, if need be, for the nickel-and-dime bids and then marked a tab as paid. Only one auctioneer worked at a time and there were no speakers or sound systems that allowed the auctioneer’s voice to carry. This took a toll on each of their voices over the years so having a room temperature glass of water or warm cup of coffee handy was always important.
Cold drinks were always avoided as they were harshest on the vocal cords, often causing hoarseness or laryngitis.
Auctions were held year-round. Local churches or other organizations served lunch and home baked goods which also drew the crowds. Dick recalls only twice since 1953, when auctions were canceled and that was due to severe winter weather.
Interest in online auctions has become popular in recent years due to the ability for a bidder to view articles online, see them at a preview event if offered, bid, and purchase items using a credit card. When the coronavirus struck, live sales were often postponed and auction houses closed.
This created a rapid shift to the digital marketplace and made online auctions even more convenient. Unfortunately, the access to all that great food and fellowship at local auctions was lost but many people prefer the privacy of online bidding in their own homes at times that are convenient for their busy schedules.
