Wellsville Mather Homestead owner shares ‘American Pickers’ experience

WELLSVILLE — “Like Father, Like Daughter,” the story of the late Barbara Williams of Wellsville, will open the sixth season for the popular reality show “American Pickers” Wednesday night on the History Channel, on local Channel 54.

When people learned that the ‘American Pickers’ were coming here (Wellsville Daily Reporter, April 2), everyone told me I should contact them,” said Barbara Cobb. Cobb is the niece of Barbara Williams and inherited Williams’ estate, which includes both the former Mather Homestead and a vintage 1937 yellow Cord, after Williams passed away in 2014.

Barbara Williams inherited the Mather Homestead when her mother, Helen Mather Chapin, and she and her husband, Glenn, established a music room and also taught braille. Always interested in the arts, Williams, who was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and graduated from Scripps College in Claremont, Calif., obtaining a degree in typography, graphic design and fine arts, established the Carnival Caravan, which was featured at the Chautauqua Institution. The effort, which brought art into rural areas, was lauded by Eleanor Roosevelt.

“I’d never seen the show (“American Pickers”) and was surprised when they called me back. I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone when they were coming, but shortly after they arrived in their van (May 15) there were hundreds of people in front of the house and in the neighbor’s lawn, trying to get a look at them and talk to them,” said Cobb.

For Cobb, who was joined by her son, David, of Pittsburgh, Pa., it was an exhausting, 12-hour day with little time to eat or catch a breather.

“I was glad David was here, I was amazed at some of the things he remembered,” she said.

The Pickers, Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz, arrived with a production crew of 12, which set up inside the Mather Homestead.

Cobb laughed, admitting that she is not much of a negotiator. She said Wolfe and Fritz had to prompt her to negotiate prices.

“They didn’t buy what I thought they would be interested in. Mike (Wolfe) did really want the elephant that came from Barbara’s father’s restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio. It was a light made by the well-known puppeteer Tong Sarg, who helped start the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Barbara also had the murals Sarg painted for the restaurant walls,” Cobb said.

Cobb has contacted museums to donate the murals.

She also admitted she fluffed it a little when the Pickers asked to see the 1937 Cord which was given to Williams as a high school graduation present. Lovingly cared for for over 75 years, the vehicle also served as a centerpiece of style and art for the Carnival Caravan. It also appeared in many local parades.

“They wanted viewers to think it was right outside in the garage, but when they asked if we could walk out and see the Cord, I said it was about a mile away (at Whitwood Motors) and we’d better drive. I was very tired and it had already been a long day. I think they cut that, at least I hope they did.”

An activist, Williams was a proponent of peace, individual rights and freedoms and a staunch supporter of the Green Party before her death. She was also involved in the Bump the Dump effort and protested against war and violence. Much Bump the Dump memorabilia, along with political items, art and musical instruments were stored in the Homestead. The Mather Homestead is well-known to locals as a place where children could hunt for braille-inscripted Easter Eggs, where adults would sit on the front porch and read the Declaration of Independence on July 4, and where children were welcome to carve pumpkins and trick or treat on Halloween.

“They said that out of 70 sites they had visited that this was their top pick,” said Cobb. They’d come from the Corning area and they had been out here for two weeks and after this they were going home.”

“They did say that they loved Wellsville and thought it was very attractive, and Mike ate a lot of Texas Hots that day,” she said, although lunch was from the Beef Haus.

Cobb said a couple of weeks after the visit, the producers asked her to send some high-definition scans of old photos of Williams growing up. She said they expressed amazement about the number of photos sent and how quickly they were sent. Cobb said her impression is that much of the program will be about Williams.

She said the producers told her she would be receiving a DVD of the show, but she thought she’d receive it before the show aired. She hasn’t, but she has talked with Eileen Tecza, director of the Nancy Howe Auditorium, to make arrangements to show the DVD in the auditorium once she does receive it.

She added that she is looking forward to seeing Wednesday’s show.

“Barbara’s motto was to have fun and we did. I think she would be thrilled about what has happened,” Cobb said.