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Bill Clinton's Boyhood Home on EBay
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: March 16, 2004
Filed at 6:16 p.m. ET

HOPE, Ark. (AP) -- Gary Johnson and his mother, Elaine, have lived in the ``little bitty house'' at 321 E. 13th St. for about 10 years. Now married, Johnson is looking for a bigger house. But selling the neatly-maintained corner lot residence where Bill Clinton lived for three years as a child is taking some time.

"The house was for sale 10 years ago for a long time because nobody wanted it,'' Johnson said. ``As I recall, there was a man from Canada who was finally interested. And my mother and I just thought that was terrible if someone from another country took the little house.

``Now it's long past his presidential days, and I just don't see anybody local being interested in it.'' Johnson decided to go worldwide and auction off the home on eBay. He won't say how many inquiries he has had since posting the home on the Internet site a week ago, but said he has had some serious inquiries. Johnson has left it up to his father to screen prospective buyers. (Note: The eBay Auction Item Number is: 2385914027, and is scheduled to close on April 7th, 2004. ed.)

``He called yesterday morning before we went to church all excited that there were 14 bids that had come in overnight,'' Johnson said. The former president was born in Hope on Aug. 19, 1946, and his birthplace home has been turned into a museum. Clinton lived at the 13th Street residence from 1951-1953 before moving to Hot Springs.

Johnson believes he's helped preserve the integrity of the home. ``It has had a lot of cosmetic surgery done on it because of President Clinton living there,'' he said. ``If it hadn't been for that, it would probably be a run-down, late-40s little rent house.''

Johnson said the original floor plan remains intact despite the addition of siding, carpeting and new ceilings. The house is about 950-square feet. It has three bedrooms, a dining room, kitchen, living room and one bath room.

The house basically is the same as it was when Clinton lived there. But Johnson said the historical connection of the house has been largely overlooked. ``In all the years we have lived there, I have never had anyone come to me and say in a serious sense 'We need to make this a tourist site,''' Johnson said.