Photo Provided The four benches that were repurposed from pieces of wood from the collapsed Knowlton Covered Bridge. The benches were auctioned off Saturday with proceeds benefiting the bridge park board.

WOODSFIELD — A few area residents will have little pieces of the Knowlton Covered Bridge after some of the timber from the collapsed structure was repurposed into four benches.

The benches were auctioned off during a fundraiser held last month at the Monroe Theatre. While the majority of the auction’s earnings will benefit the theater and fund its improvements, the funds brought in from the sale of the benches will benefit the Knowlton Covered Bridge Park Board.

Mick Schumacher, a Monroe County commissioner and member of the Monroe County Arts Council, said the benches fetched more than $2,000, which will be used by the park board for park signage or kiosks.

“It was about $2,200 from four benches and a board that had been retrieved from the bridge,” he said. “Two of the benches sold for $775 and one for $250 and one for $275. So we were pleased with that.”

Schumacher said Bill Stolarik collected pieces of timber from the bridge that could not be saved. Stolarik then repurposed the wood, creating benches and donating them to the auction for sale.

“He recycled the benches from some of the bridge itself. He contacted me last fall and said he had these benches and we could raffle or sell them,” Schumacher said.

The historic bridge collapsed in July 2019 due to deterioration and inclement weather. The county has been working toward an estimated $1 million project to rebuild the bridge for the last couple of years. Schumacher said there is still no start date for the restoration project. It was previously expected to begin early this year.

Schumacher was one of four people to purchase one of the benches at the auction; however, he is unsure what his plans are for it.

“There was a lady that had come all the way from up north specifically for the auction. She went out to eat, got sick and had to go home before the auction, so I wanted to make sure I had a bench because she made that trip all the way down. We’re in the process of figuring out what we’re going to be doing with the bench,” he said, adding that the woman is a “Knowlton heir” whose ancestors helped build the bridge in 1887.

Additionally, Schumacher purchased a piece of wood from the bridge.

He said officials are currently working on collecting timber for the rebuild and thought it would be “cool” if there was a way to incorporate a piece of the old timber and a piece of the new timber into a single bench.

Schumacher said the theater raised around $4,000 from the sale of donated items at the auction.

All of those proceeds will go toward the grant match for the theater’s new balcony.

“Most of those were donations. The auctioneer and his brother brought items down and we got 20 percent commission from what they sold,” he added.

The arts council has secured a $260,000 grant to construct a balcony along the back wall of the theater; however, a 20 percent match, or $71,840, is needed. The funds collected during the auction, along with money raised through a seat sponsorship fundraiser, will be used for the match.