The Metcalf family dates back to the beginning of the fight for America’s freedom in 1775 and is one of the few family names still associated with the earliest history of Piermont.
Two of those celebrated Metcalf family members, John and Abby, were an integral part of Piermont's fabric, as they were involved in many aspects of town business and government. These two fine individuals had put their stamp on many areas of Piermont.
I can think of many they were members of or in charge of: The Town clerk’s office, the grounds and maintenance of the entire town, including all the cemeteries and administration thereof, the sewer department, sports fields, sports teams, youth sports coaching, law enforcement, firefighting, parades and celebrations, Memorial Day services, veterans services and monuments, the Piermont Village School, the Recycling operation, town- wide tree planting, 4H groups, the town’s 250th Anniversary celebration, the Piermont Church, former town fire insurance company and many other considerations this involved and respected couple maintained.
I can only remember one single pathway John or Abby traveled that split into two separate and distinct parts, that being the road to either Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium. John was strictly and undeniably a Yankees fan, while Abby would always remain a Red Sox Nation lady.
And, of course, we cannot overlook at the benefits of Abby’s Piermont Plant Pantry that was a huge agricultural project involving vegetable plants, commercial flowers, Christmas wreaths by the thousands, and the network of a thousand mums that could be seen brightening the Route 25 corner where traffic would sometimes slow down a bit to view the menagerie of color, activity and not run over the slow crawling ‘Gator vehicles.
John passed away in 2021, and Abby died in January of this year.
The house and grounds on Route 25 included vast Metcalf farmland, their former home, numerous outbuildings, and the successful Plant Pantry business, which was now dormant or empty, waiting for Abby to return and revive the scene one more time.
But that will not happen. Their slice of history has passed and is now cast in stone for this family, which made its appearance in New England in 1630, and the patriarch of the family, Burgess Metcalf, who came early to settle in Piermont. He set aside his tools and fought in the American Revolution in 1777.
John and Abby had been involved with their town for many years, since both came here after college. They had lived at the same address and had hands in many projects, and it seemed they were always providing for others.
When The Bridge Weekly featured the Steenburgh auction advertisement, which was held on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, I ventured to the big yellow tent set up on Route 25 in East Haverhill. For a mid-week auction, it was well-attended as there were several other estates there on the auction block that day, the Metcalfs being just one of them.
The weather was quite hot. However, while I was there, Josh Steenburgh managed to move a significant number of items in a short amount of time. He, the staff, and other Steenburgh family members handled the chore of presenting and auctioning items.
The cards, wooden boxes, old postcards, baseball uniforms, and other items were all part of the things the Metcalfs collected or gathered, reflecting their involvement in town affairs, local sports teams, and extensive gardening. The last time I checked with Abby, she told me she had more than 14 full greenhouses dedicated to her Piermont Plant Pantry enterprise.
Waiting to be auctioned was a large 1860 map of the various towns settled at the time within the bounds of Grafton County. It was in reasonably good condition. Josh opened the bidding, noting that “I remember the old days when maps like this brought $500.00.” This one brought much less.
There were many different lots brought up for bidding, such as a collection of postcards in a handsome commercial seed box, some of John’s old wool town baseball uniforms from Fairlee and Piermont that were embroidered with sponsors’ names on the back, such as “Currier’s Machinery and Ice.”
Although many items were sold, removed from the tent, and taken to customer vehicles, I am told that the remainder of the Metcalf collection will be featured at the Labor Day weekend auction, scheduled for Sunday, August 31, 2025. Josh Steenburg’s gavel opens the bidding at 10:00 AM for this sale, which will include many classic old vehicles and tractors. I saw some of them, and they are an amazing group of handsome cars.
I look forward to visiting with John and Abby again, as I have in the past. The visit next time will be at the Labor Day weekend auction. I used to drop by their place as they each went about their day’s chores around Route 25 property and the town at large. It was a great place to either tell stories or to hear stories.
But as busy as they were, they were always available to sign on to another task, answer another question, or be ready just to shoot the breeze. That’s part of why we loved them so.

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