LOWVILLE — Interested bidders packed the Elks Lodge on May 23 for a chance to own one of 33 pieces of Lewis County real estate offered at the county’s annual tax auction.

The highest bid went to a 265.3-acre chunk of private forest off Osceola Road in the town of Lewis. The property, which contains a cabin built in the 1950s, sold for $50,000.

The lowest price was $200 for a 200-by-175-foot lot in the town of Diana.

Only one parcel, a small piece of landlocked property, went without any bids.

The West Leyden Hotel, located at 5221 Osceola Road, went to a purchaser from Poughkeepsie for $14,000.

The total for all sales was $406,000, with a net of $314,000 to the county after $92,000 in back taxes were paid.

Legislators had budgeted for an expected $45,000 profit in the sale, but instead gained an unexpected $269,000 more.

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