IRVINGTON — The Annual Benton House Book Sale will be held Friday, July 14 from 5-8 p.m., Saturday, July 15 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and Sunday, July 16 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday is the $5 per bag sale, with all the books you can squeeze into a standard plastic grocery bag for only $5 (excluding specially priced books). Paperbacks go for $1, and hardcovers go for $2, and rare books at special prices. The Benton House is located at 312 S. Downey Ave. Donations will be taken until about a week before, so if you have books, please drop them off in the box behind the house as soon as possible. The sale will be a rain-or-shine event.
On Wednesday, July 12 at 6:30 p.m., volunteers are needed to haul books from the basement to the tent in the parking lot, supplied by Montgomery Tent and Awning Co. After all the donations have been hauled up, there will be drinks and desserts for the volunteers. Register by replying to the Benton House Book Sale Facebook page.
The book sale is one of the largest in Indianapolis, and customers come from all over the area to browse. It is an important fundraiser for the Benton House, helping to pay for the upkeep on the historic home. Early organizers included the late Rose Mary Clarke, who championed both books and the Benton House. Over the years it has become an east side tradition to pick up a healthy stack of books under the big tent. There will be lots of children’s books, hard-to-find reference books, romance novels, science fiction, fantasy, bestsellers, classics, and much, much more.
Generous donors have deposited thousands of books at the Benton House over the past few months. Volunteers have sorted and categorized books, making browsing easy for buyers.
Proceeds from the sale go to support the Benton House, a historic home that is one of the iconic buildings in Irvington. Built in 1873, the Benton House is a shining example of Second Empire architecture. It was the home of Allen R. Benton, twice president of Butler University when it was located in Irvington. The house is lovingly preserved, thanks to the efforts of the Benton House Association. It is listed as an Indiana Museum and is the only publicly-accessible house of the east side that is listed in the Historic Register. The Benton House is available for rental for small weddings, gatherings, and parties.
The annual Benton House Book Sale is made possible with generous support of volunteers before, during, and after the sale.
