Clinton's boyhood home for sale on eBay

Associated Press | March 17, 2004

[HAL9000]

HOPE, Ark. — Gary Johnson put a small home for sale on eBay because he wanted to move into a bigger place now that he's married.

Johnson's dream of buying a new house just got bigger.

When Bill Clinton used to live in your little home, it can create a bidding frenzy.

There were at least 75 bids placed on the "little bitty house" at 321 E. 13th St. Tuesday and the bidding has reached $190,200. It started at $45,000.

Johnson won't say how many inquiries he has had since posting the home on the Internet site a week ago, but said he has had some serious inquiries. Johnson has left it up to his father to screen prospective buyers.

"He called (Monday) morning before we went to church all excited that there were 14 bids that had come in overnight," Johnson said.

The auction will close April 7.

Selling the neatly-maintained corner lot residence where Bill Clinton lived for three years as a child has taken some time.

"The house was for sale 10 years ago for a long time because nobody wanted it," Johnson said. "As I recall, there was a man from Canada who was finally interested. And my mother and I just thought that was terrible if someone from another country took the little house.

"Now it's long past his presidential days, and I just don't see anybody local being interested in it."

Johnson decided to go worldwide and auction off the home on eBay.

The former president was born in Hope on Aug. 19, 1946, and his birthplace home has been turned into a museum. Clinton lived at the 13th Street residence from 1951-1953 before moving to Hot Springs.

Johnson believes he's helped preserve the integrity of the home.

"It has had a lot of cosmetic surgery done on it because of President Clinton living there," he said. "If it hadn't been for that, it would probably be a run-down, late-40s little rent house."

Johnson said the original floor plan remains intact despite the addition of siding, carpeting and new ceilings. The house is about 950-square feet. It has three bedrooms, a dining room, kitchen, living room and one bath room.

The house basically is the same as it was when Clinton lived there.

But Johnson said the historical connection of the house has been largely overlooked.

"In all the years we have lived there, I have never had anyone come to me and say in a serious sense 'We need to make this a tourist site,'" Johnson said.

Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

[al baby]

yesterdays news

[LetsRok]

Someone should buy it and tear it down.

[curmudgeonII]

How expensive would the necessary long fumigation period be?

[freedomlover]

Someone should buy it and tear it down.

Someone should buy it and charge a buck each for people to p!ss on it.

[international american]

Good one:)

[EUPHORIC]

"Someone should buy it and charge a buck each for people to p!ss on it."

BWA! HA! HA! Good one! Got my buck in hand!

[LibFreeUSA]

Bid 'reserve' is probably only $1.95

[Rebelbase]

"Someone should buy it and tear it down."

Let the fire dept. use it for a training day.

[dd5339]

"Someone should buy it and charge a buck each for people to p!ss on it.

I like your thinking!

Semper Fi

[The Great RJ]

Too bad he doesn't own Clinton's old El Camino pick-up--the one with the carpet in the back--nicknamed "Mayflower" because so many women came over in it.

[Rebelbase]

"Someone should buy it and charge a buck each for people to p!ss on it."

Ha!..A real dilemma for a small town. Its probably zoned residential but converting it to a business zoning for your purpose would increase the tax base.

[KOZ.]

betcha the walls are still sticky.

[azhenfud]

Our county's looking for a suitable landfill site.

[leprechaun9]

Is there a crescent shaped moon on the front door?

[thoughtomator]

Heck, I might drive all the way out there from New York for a chance to do that!

I was initially thinking someone should buy it in order to burn it down.

[newgeezer]

Funny thread alert.

[BykrBayb]

No link to the article. No link to the auction. I searched the eBay auctions for "clinton house" and didn't find it.

[freekitty]

Someone better check the sink in the house. It might be contaminated.

[freekitty]

The advertising should read. "The boyhood home of the weakest administration in America's history since Carter's".