By Jeremy W. Steele
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MIAMISBURG - The sweet harmony of three young women's voices stopped coming out of the brick two-story Victorian house on Main Street decades ago. But no matter what the future holds for the house at 115 S. Main St., just blocks from the river in Miamisburg's historic district, locals are sure to remember it as the home of The McGuire Sisters.
First night of the Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Billy Graham Mission on Thursday, June 27, 2002 held at Paul Brown Stadium. On the large screen is Anthony Munoz, giving his testimonial.
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The 130-year-old house hits the auction block at 1 p.m. today. Other items from the house go on sale at 10 a.m.
"I'm just extremely honored and humbled to be chosen to do such a famous family's auction, especially when they could have gone off to Christie's or some other place," said auctioneer Frank Lewis, a Miamisburg native.
Born in Middletown, the McGuire Sisters - Christine, Dorothy and Phyllis - hit the Billboard charts numerous times in the 1950s and '60s, bringing covers of "Sincerely," "Sugartime" and "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight" into the top 10. The trio broke up in 1968, but reunited in 1985 to occasionally tour and put on Las Vegas shows.
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IF YOU GO
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• When: 10 a.m. today
• Where: 115 S. Main St., Miamisburg
• Directions: Interstate 75 north to Exit 44. Follow Ohio 725 to Main Street
• Contact: Frank Lewis & Sons Auctioneers (937) 859-7172
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The women got their start singing in the First Church of God in Miamisburg, where their mother, Lillie McGuire, was an ordained pastor. Their mother, who outlived husband Asa McGuire, died last year. Their mother's connection to the church led to the sisters' donation of the house to the Centerville Christian Fellowship Church, which is using the proceeds for a new building, Lewis said.
The house, which has six marble fireplaces, had been listed for about $180,000, he said. Numerous household and collectible items from the house are also included in the auction. "Christine McGuire had about six pairs of beaded high-heel shoes she wore in some of their Las Vegas shows," Lewis said.
All three sisters live out of state, although they often returned to visit their mother. They also came back to Miamisburg to decide what to sell.
Lewis said he's received some interest in the house and expects more than 1,000 people to come to the sale. "It only takes two people to make a good auction on anything," he said.
E-mail jsteele@enquirer.com
