Canton Barn LLC

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Canton Barn LLC

Come for the auction....stay for the fun! We retired as of July 2019! Sorry to have missed you! There were no numbers, no reserves, and no consignments.

The Canton Barn was a second-generation antiques auction gallery in Canton, CT that held year-round weekly Saturday night auctions. Written up in numerous newspapers, magazines, and online sources, the Canton Barn was one of the last few authentic auction galleries in the country. All items were purchased outright by auctioneer, Richard Wacht. The Canton Barn closed its doors on 2019 when Richard retired.

05/13/2025

First strawberry rhubarb pie of the season with rhubarb from my garden. Missing Saturday nights with the Canton Barn family and Richard.

03/16/2025

Pi Day arrived a few days late for me..but here it is, fresh out of the oven. Takes me down memory lane back to Saturday night auctions, pie tickets, and Richard's "sing-song" "Here we have...." Miss that guy. He could be a pain sometimes but he had the biggest heart.

11/09/2024

Saturday pie baking takes me back to auction days...and, of course, Richard. Today's pie: Chocolate Pecan

09/28/2024

In memory on the 1 year anniversary of his passing....RIP Richard.

09/21/2024

He would have been 80 today. He was a goofball who loved to joke around. He was funny, kind, and well-liked (loved). He was a good friend till the end. RIP Richard. I hope you are having a blast with all who went before you. Thanks for the love, friendship, and guidance through the years. p.s. I still have that hat!

12/09/2023

Baking Apple Raspberry pies today...a Saturday, and I can't help but think of Richard and the auctions. I can clearly hear him telling me to be careful not to slice the apples too small or I'll end up with apple sauce. Miss him and his wry sense of humor...and definitely miss how quickly he could pare fruit for the pies I baked.

Wishing you all the brightest of holidays. Don't ever miss the opportunity to tell your loved ones that you love them. Life is too short for way too many.

Blessings.
Susan

11/05/2023

He had a ticket to ride..... and ride right out of here he did. Memories of Richard and the Canton Barn. He always did love hamming it up. RIP my friend. You sure made my life interesting to say the least!

10/31/2023

Richard's cat, Tiger, is missing him. :-( Me, too.

09/27/2023

RIP Today Auctioneer Richard E. Wacht took his last breath.

Born, raised, and having lived most of his 79 years in Canton, CT on the Old Canton Road property, Richard had recently relocated to New Hartford, CT.

A Connecticut Yankee with a cantankerous personality, Richard was best known as the cowboy boot & blue jean wearing auctioneer at the Canton Barn auction gallery for over 4 decades. He grew up in the family antiques auction business tumbling furniture and driving the farm truck in his early teens.

A Vietnam veteran, Richard was drafted in 1965, just less than 30 days before the draft wouldn’t have affected him. He did his tour of duty under General Barrows and was only too happy to surrender his guns when he returned home with his Honorable Discharge in1967.

After serving his country in the army, he returned to his Canton home where he had been born, converting the 1880’s cow barn into an auction gallery. He followed his father, John G. Wacht, into the auction business taking over for him in the late 1970’s. Folks traveled from all over the country to attend the Canton Barn auctions with its stellar reputation and home-made pies. Richard’s knowledge on antiques was sought after by many. He mentored many an antiques dealer, shared his knowledge with auction attendees, and was an expert witness for the state of Connecticut regarding antiques. Along with finding hidden gambling rooms in houses and auctioning off a General’s Civil War sword, Richard assisted his father in the auctioning of Samuel Clemen’s out-house. He was filled with “bits of useless information” and was always in his element when retelling the stories of an auctioneer’s unusual experiences. Richard retired from the auction business in the summer of 2019 after 40+ years.

Richard’s younger days were filled with travelling, racing “outlaw” cars, and drinking Johnny Walker Black. Even with the demanding schedule of holding weekly auctions, he had still managed to travel the world where friends were made, good meals were enjoyed, and the promise of tomorrow danced on the wind. And, he could “cut a rug” with the best as evidenced not too long ago at his niece, Robyn’s, wedding.

Richard always had a deep love for cats. Tales of Pumpkin, Brownie, and Marmalade and Tiger delighted and amused auction attendees and fellow pet lovers with Tiger being his constant companion for the last thirteen years.

Beside his beloved cat, Tiger, Richard leaves behind his dear friend & business partner, Susan Goralski; five nieces: Jocelyn Canterbury-Hall, Robyn Meo-Henry, Morgan Tufarolo, BreeAnna Melechinsky and Kimberly Melechinsky, and two nephews: Timothy Melechinsky and Colin Britton. Richard is predeceased by his parents: John and Anne Napey Wacht and a sister, Joanne Wacht Delphino.

There will be no calling hours and no funeral services. In Richard’s closing words at the end of each and every auction, “Thank you for coming. Drive safely. Goodnight.”

A celebratory gathering will take place at a future date for friends and colleagues to reminisce. Messages may be sent to the following email address: [email protected] or mailed to Susan Goralski at P.O.Box 1019, New Hartford, CT 06057. Memorial donations may be made to the Smilow Cancer Center in Torrington, CT.

03/07/2023

As this chapter comes to a close, we find ourselves with a diminutive Victorian "The Empire" safe. Complete with combination for the lock,the door is currently off to make it easier to move. If you're interested, contact me at [email protected] for pricing, measurements and where to pick it up.

12/03/2022

Before & After: Grape Pie. Not your ordinary sweet pie, no, this is a savory pie made with sage. Bringing this to a holiday open house later today. So happy to be retired and have all the time in the world to bake now.

10/12/2022

Before & After. Yes, I do still find time to bake an occasional pie. Hard to believe that I made up to 26 pies a week at one time for the auctions! Anyway, this is a very special pie made with extremely old varieties of apples from an orchard called Hidden Gem located out in Southbury, CT. I used 2 different types, one called Firecracker (recently released from Cornell University) and the other, Ashmead's Kernal dating back to the 1700's.

Address

75 Old Canton Road
Canton, CT
06019

Opening Hours

1pm - 4pm

Website

http://www.cantonbarn.com/

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