LIVERMORE — While a group of homeschooled children learned Thursday about the Washburn family in the one-room schoolhouse, employees of a local auction house prepared for Saturday’s auction at the Washburn-Norlands Living History Center.

“This auction will be rather unique to us,” said Jim Talbot of Turner-based Charles M. Talbot Associates. It is a special, one-time auction of duplicate items or items no longer necessary for the center’s programs.

Talbot’s crew started Monday gathering surplus horse-drawn buggies, potato diggers, woodstoves, blacksmith tools, antique chests and many more items that have been stored at the historical center.

“We are doing our spring cleaning in the fall,” said Dan Pugh, caretaker of Norlands.

Nothing critical to the center’s collection will be up for auction Saturday, but some will carry historical significance, said Pugh. “It’s a balance, but we are not harming our collection.”

“We simply need to create some space,” said Renee Bonin, trustee of the Washburn-Norlands Foundation. “We need to make more room for exhibits.”

“We thought people in the community might be interested in taking things off our hands,” Pugh said about the auction at Norlands.

Pugh said that proceeds from Saturday’s auction will be used for operating costs, such as bringing all the woodstoves up to fire code.

Saturday’s auction at 290 Norlands Road starts at 10 a.m. People can preview the items starting at 8 a.m. the morning of the sale.