Philanthropists' land heads for auction block

By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- Bud Gaier was struck by the beauty of Red Gate Farm. Cattle and sheep grazed on the fields and rolling hills, and flowers grew near the fences. "I thought it was one of the prettiest farms I'd seen in a long time," Gaier said.
That was about 45 years ago, when Gaier first moved with his family to the 298-acre farm on Leffingwell Road to work for its owner, William H. Kilcawley. Gaier was the farm's manager until he retired last year.
The farm will be up for auction at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Kilcawley, secretary-treasurer of Standard Slag Co., and a well-known philanthropist, died in 1958.
A Red Gate barn has been reduced to a blackened foundation by fire, but the farmland remains beautiful. Rolling hills accented by yellow bushes and dandelions surround the farmhouse, and a small lake and a forest can be seen in the distance.
Handed down
After the death of Kilcawley and his wife, Mattie, the farm was given to their daughter, Anne Kilcawley Christman, who died in April 2002, leaving no children.
Proceeds from the auction will go to charity through Kilcawley Christman's foundation. Her belongings were auctioned in October.
Auctioneer Ken Baer said there won't be starting bids on the farm, and he wouldn't "hazard a guess" as to how much it will go for.
Auctioneers will try to sell the property three ways: As an entire farm; separated into two parcels; and separated into homes, barns, farm buildings, or 21 parcels.
Canfield Township Trustee Bill Reese said there is $92,274 in open space money to spend. Trustees want to buy five to 10 acres to create a park.
Ann Griffith and her family also plan to attend the auction. Griffith said they hope to move from their Canfield home into a more rural setting, "just to be out in the country, where people aren't on top of you."
Quiet life
Harry Hunter described life on the farm as "nice and quiet." Hunter and his wife, Betty, have lived and worked on the farm for nearly eight years, cutting the lawn, providing security and helping pay the bills. They most likely will move after the auction. Hunter is looking for a new job.
Betty Hunter noted that Kilcawley Christman was a dedicated businesswoman committed to helping Youngstown State University. Money from a Kilcawley family trust helped pay for Kilcawley Student Center, which opened in 1965.
"She was a very generous lady, very charitable," said Herbert H. Pridham, an attorney for the Kilcawley family.
Gaier and Pridham said William H. Kilcawley donated to several charities and Canfield churches, worked as an executive for seven companies and served as a Canfield Fair official, but farming remained important to him.
"You'd ask his occupation, he'd say farmer," Pridham said.
Gaier said he doesn't like the idea of the farm's being sold, "but there's not much I can do about it. That's going to be the end."
hill@vindy.com