Key facts
- Blackwood Hall, the former home of KFC founder Colonel Harland Sanders and his wife, Claudia, is up for auction.
- The auction includes the couple's former restaurant, Claudia Sanders Dinner House.
- Colonel Sanders' personal planner from 1964, potentially containing the secret recipe, is part of the sale.
- KFC has previously stated that the recipe in the planner does not match their secret formula.
Blackwood Hall, the former residence of KFC founder Colonel Harland Sanders and his wife, Claudia, is currently up for sealed-bid auction until July 31. The property, located in Shelbyville, Kentucky, also includes Claudia Sanders Dinner House, a restaurant the couple operated on the premises.
The Sanderses moved to Blackwood Hall in 1959, seven years after Colonel Sanders began franchising his fried-chicken recipe. They relocated KFC's headquarters to the property. Although Sanders sold KFC in 1964, the couple continued their involvement in the restaurant business, opening the Dinner House in 1968. They sold the restaurant to family friends in 1974.
In addition to the property, a separate auction is offering KFC memorabilia. This includes Colonel Sanders' original Kentucky Colonel certificate, a letter from President Richard Nixon, and notably, his personal planner from 1964. This planner contains an unlabeled recipe listing 11 herbs and spices, sparking speculation about whether it could be KFC's secret recipe.
Auctioneer Bill Menish stated that it is up to the buyer to determine if the recipe is the authentic secret formula. He noted the irony of the planner listing 11 herbs and spices with quantities but without identifying the recipe's purpose. KFC previously examined the recipe during a legal dispute and concluded that the ingredients did not match their secret recipe, suggesting it might have been for stuffing.