[ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] im jamie colby, and today im in southwest oregon, on the breathtaking Pacific Coast highway. If youve ever made this drive, you may have visited this strange inheritance and even met the heir trying to save it from extinction. My name is kiki mcgrath. My grandfather was really into dinosaurs. I inherited his version of Jurassic Park from a bygone era. Hi. Im jamie. Hi, jamie. Im kiki. Great to meet you, kiki, and i like your friend. It was pretty clear i was in the right place. This is my grandfathers creation. Lets go take a look. That creation is prehistoric gardens, which sits in a lush stretch of oldgrowth forest, with ocean mist filtering sunlight through its towering trees. I would camp out here, and i dont camp. But be careful giant monsters lurk. Triceratops, wow. The grounds are teeming with dinosaurs. Feast your eyes on em. Theres the platecovered stegosaurus. A towering trex. A soaring pteranodon and many more. Each imposing creature a lifesize replica of an ancient past, including this 46foothigh, 86footlong brachiosaurus. Four years from start to finish. Amazing . To build this one. I just really cant believe the scale. The story of these creatures begins in 1907, in gordonsville, minnesota, where ernie nelson is born. Young ernie cant stop drawing on his sketch pad, especially the prehistoric creatures he sees in national geographic. Definitely a creative character, according to his daughter bennii. Was he always an artist . He always drew. He came out of the womb carrying a pen. A few decades later, in the 1930s, ernie gets married and has two kids. He settles down on the west coast and opts for a stable career path. He owned a Gravel Company when he was very young, and he was a public accountant in eugene, oregon. An accountant ever on the lookout for a more creative living. His dream job . A cartoonist at walt disney studios. He gets the offer, then talks himself out of taking it. He had two children, and it was during the depression, so he decided he just couldnt pick up and leave. So, ernie keeps counting beans for another two decades, knowing deep inside hes missing his true calling. Then, when ernies 47 years old, he makes an announcement during christmas dinner that stuns his family. He goes out to the car, and he gets this cement dinosaur. It was a tyrannosaurus rex, and he brings it in, and he sets it down, and then he said, this is what im going to do. We thought, what . He said, im going to build dinosaurs. Did you all think maybe he had had too much to drink . No one said a word. They felt that he had gone off the deep end. No, really, ernie explains. He intends to open a roadside attraction filled with dinosaurs he reveals hes been fascinated by the creatures his entire life. I said to mom, why would he do Something Like that . She said, ill go any place he wants to go. Was that true love . Yeah, that was true love. And it turns out his timing couldnt be better. Ernie knew what he was doing when he started his attraction in the early 1950s. Doug kirby is the author of two books on Roadside Attractions. The golden age was after world war ii. Gis came home. They had families. They were starting to have money to buy better cars and take summer vacations. The u. S. Highway system was built out across the whole country. Attractions could find an audience. Then all of these things started to crop up. These entertaining, and sometimes bizarre, Roadside Attractions become an american phenomenon. Ernie the accountant figures a Dinosaur Park is a sure thing. What made your dad think that this was gonna be a winner . When you have an absolute passion for something, you think that other people feel the same way you do. Before he can bring forth his creation, ernie must find his eden. He comes across 70 acres of lush forest in southern oregon, right off the famed 101, Pacific Coast highway. Its listed for 17 grand. Did he have the money to buy that property . Were you rich . No, no, ultrapoor. They had practically no money when they came down here. But ernie works his accounting magic, selling his home and business. And presto he has the cash. Now hes ready to flesh out some dinosaurs. He researches the creatures exhaustively, drawing up sketches and blueprints. I mean, he was almost an engineer when it came to dinosaurs. Yes, the steel frame went on and then, after that they put metal lath, and they molded it, and then on top of that they put cement. Then comes the fine artistry. Ernie adds details and handpaints precise features eyes, scales, teeth. Look at the skin texture even. Yes. But ernie does take some artistic license, adding splashes of bright paint and vibrant patterns. Grandpa didnt know the exact color scheme, but he said it was the man behind the paintbrush that chose the colors. And the man behind the paintbrush chooses colors that draw customers. Part of the formula with the roadside attraction is people want to be able to take pictures that they can share when they get home. Ernie had an eye for what would make a great photo. Painting things in bright, garish colors was a way to make those dinosaurs pop out. After a year of construction, ernies ready to open his prehistoric gardens. So, what was the reaction initially . They loved it. And not just the tourists. Do you have some recollections as a kid of playing in that park . Oh, my gosh, do i . Like, i just got chills, yeah. Ernies greatgranddaughter tells us why. Thats next. But first, our strange inheritance quiz question. The film Jurassic Park made an infamous villain out of the velociraptor. How big was the dinosaur in real life . The size of a. The answer after the break. You supported him through four years of undergrad. And medical school. Its no wonder he said, you dont have to pick me up. 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These may worsen with anoro. Call your doctor if you have worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain while taking anoro. Ask your doctor about anoro. Go your own way get your first prescription free at anoro. Com. And im the founder of ugmonk. Before shipstation it was crazy. Its great when you see a hundred orders come in, a hundred orders come in, but then you realize ive got a hundred orders i have to ship out. Shipstation streamlined that wh the order data, the weights of , everything is seamlessly put into shipstation, so when we print the shipping ll everythings pretty much done. Its so much easier so now, were ready, bring on t. Shipstation. The number one ch of online sellers. Go to shipstation. Com tv and get two months free. So, how big were velociraptors in real life . The speedy dinosaurs were only the size of a turkey. Its 1955. Accountant ernie nelson has quit his office job, uprooted his family, and depleted his life savings to create a roadside dinosaur attraction in southwest oregon, along the Pacific Coast highway. Thats a big jump from being an accountant. He just had a real drive. He wanted to create something and share it with everybody. On new years day, ernies prehistoric gardens is finally ready. Signs point the way from the highway. Admissions 50 cents for adults, a quarter for kids. To the familys relief, tourists flock to it, just as ernie predicted. So, what was the reaction initially . They loved it. We would walk with them through the gardens. We would point and tell them what the name of the dinosaur was. The family enlists every visitor to spread the word. We used to put on bumper stickers. It said prehistoric gardens on it. It showed a picture of a tyrannosaurus rex. Bennii spends almost all her time at the gardens during the parks first few years. And her daughter, kiki, born in 1957, does, too. In fact, when bennii divorces in 1959, she moves away, leaving kiki to be raised by her grandparents in the family home, right on the property. Kiki watches her grandfather expand his shangrila year after year. I remember rvs and trailers parked everywhere. Was it magical to watch him create this . Magical, yes. He would get, like, a just big, you know, grin on his face when he would see kids coming in, and theyd be squealing with the parents. I think it was really important for him to see people be happy. After high school, kiki ventures beyond the dino park but within a year returns. What brought you back . I really like being around my grandparents, and i didnt want to do anything different. It was a life kiki would also want for her daughter, rain, whos born in 1982 and spends her childhood playing amongst the massive dinosaurs. Do you have some recollections as a kid of playing in that park . Oh, my gosh, do i . Like, i just got chills, yeah. My whole childhood was that park. My friends and i, wed kind of climb up the stegosaurus or wed climb up the elasmosaurus and slide down his back. We would even hide in the bushes sometimes and make noises and stuff when the guests came by. [ laughs ] but the world has changed in the four decades since the 47yearold accountant chucked everything to open his prehistoric gardens. The Jurassic Park generation doesnt see these guys so much as prehistoric creatures but corny 1950s kitsch. Fewer visitors turn in to the aging park thats increasingly difficult for its octogenarian founder to maintain. The 80s and the 90s were really, really tough, and my greatgrandmother had a stroke. So, that set the family back. There was some tough times, definitely. Did dad ever consider selling or closing . Oh, no, oh, no, unhunh. That was his baby. He loved the prehistoric gardens. Loved them till the day he dies, in 1999, a dinosaur himself at age 91. His funeral is held right in the park near his favorite creature that 46foothigh brachiosaurus. And it rained, and it hailed, and it snowed, and there was sunshine. It was very, very magical, very magical. A few months later, ernies wife, kari, passes away. The will does not say who should inherit the business. Did your grandfather sit down at some point and say, heres what i want to happen with the park . No, i think he was hoping that someone would carry it on, but i dont think he thought about who was going to do it. Ernies daughter, granddaughter, and greatgranddaughter now must choose. Keep his dream alive or cash out . Its near the coast, if not right on it. You know what that property is worth. Mmhmm. Mmhmm. Did you ever think about selling or closing the park . Thats next. Heres another quiz question for you. The answer when we return. Who knew that phones would start doing everything . Entertaining us, getting us back on track, and finding us dates. Phones really have changed. So why hasnt the way we pay for them . Introducing xfinity mobile. You only pay for data and can easily switch between pay per gig and unlimited. No one else lets you do that. See how much you can save. Choose by the gig or unlimited. Xfinity mobile. A new kind of network designed to save you money. Call, visit or go to xfinitymobile. Com. The snorkasaurus is the family pet of fred and wilma flintstone. In 1999, ernie nelson leaves behind 70 acres of oregon coastland, evenly dividing the property among his two children and granddaughter, kiki. The inheritance includes his prehistoric gardens, a roadside attraction, featuring 23 lifesize dinosaur replicas that ernie created himself. He loved dinosaurs. Like, he absolutely loved them. When everybody else told him he was crazy, he just said, no, im gonna build dinosaurs. To think of how much strength and tenacity he had. But now that hes gone, the fate of the 44yearold dino park is unclear. Ernies daughter bennii, now in her mid60s, has no interest in taking over the reins. I dont have a sense of business. I dont have the drive. So, she and her brother opt to put the dino park, family home, and surrounding forest up for sale. Originally purchased for 17,000, it could be a dinomite windfall. Benniis daughter, kiki, agrees initially, then has second thoughts. I didnt want the gardens to go with the whole lump sum because i didnt want it to go to someone that didnt have the passion. Thats because prehistoric gardens isnt just a park to kiki. Its the only home shes really known, and shes never wanted to leave. You love it that much . I kind of feel a little bit of my grandfather in me. He had to be there every day, and i feel that. You couldnt live without that. No, i dont think so. So, the three heirs carve out 44 acres of ernies land along the ocean. Bennii and her brother get that. Its valued in the millions. The remaining 26 acres, including all the dinosaurs and the roadsideattraction business, go to kiki, now a single mom in her early 40s, and raising her teenage daughter, rain. Did people say, what, are you nuts . Yeah, they thought she was crazy, you know, like shes sitting on a gold mine, and shes keeping it. Running the dino park proves more difficult than either mother or daughter imagines. I resented the gardens when i was younger, just because it took my mom away from me all the time. Fifteen years later, the jobs no easier. She works there every single day 12, 14hour days. Shes the janitor. She is the ticket taker. She has to clean the dinosaurs. She does it all. Planning any vacations . Not right now. Ever consider a sick day . Not really, no. Nowadays, about 200 guests visit the park daily during peak tourist season. At 12 bucks for an adult and 8 for a kid, the park brings in around 150,000 a year. But theres not much money left over after taxes, landscaping, and costly dinosaur repairs. He looks like he may have had an injury. Pteranodon did have an injury. A tree came down on his cute, little wing and broke it. So, it was just dangling for quite some time, but, as you can see, it needs a little bit more work again. Are you living on the edge, kiki, to make this all happen . A little bit. Its kind of a one day at a time. Shes constantly putting the park before herself. Sometimes she had to put it before her family. Do you get it . I get it, but i dont get it. I get it because its her legacy, and its what she knows. But it zaps her energy, and it takes away her life. A life, rain says, that could be so much easier for her mom. When things are tough, ive been, well, mom, you know, you could sell it and retire and live on the beach, but i dont think shell sell it. So, youre never gonna let it go . No. And yet, with all her determination to continue her grandfathers legacy, has kiki made any plans for the dino park to outlast her . Has your mom ever sat you down and said, we need to talk about the future of the park . Never. Its a running theme in our family that nobody talks about it. Doug kirby has seen this scenario many times before. A lot of attractions that were the vision of a Single Person you can feel their enthusiasm around everything. By the third generation, its tough to say whether thats gonna be a generation thats gonna carry it on. Ive seen great parks that, all of a sudden theyre gone, demolished. Kikis best hope for a successor is her daughter, rain. Oh, and did we mention that she got married and ran off to europe . Do you think theres more than a 50 chance theyll step up, like you did . Probably 75. Not 100. Not 100. Could you ever see, rain, going back to oregon . Whats your strange inheritance story . Wed love to tell it. Send me an email, or go to our website, strangeinheritance. Com. I love to eat. I love hanging out with my friends. I have a great fit with my dentures. I love kiwis. Ive always had that issue with the seeds getting under my denture. Super poligrip free. It creates a seal of the dentures in my mouth. Even well fitting dentures let in food particles just a few dabs of super poligrip free is clinically proven to seal out more food particles so youre more comfortable and confident while you eat. Super poligrip free made even the kiwi an enjoyable experience try super poligrip free. Betty called me at she thought it was a fire. It was worse. A sinkhole opened up under our museum. Eight priceless corvettes had plunged into it. Chubb was there within hours. They helped make sure it was safe. We had everyone we needed to get our museum back up and running, and we opened the next day. [lagale force winds,s absolute chaos out here accumulations up to 8 inches. Dont know if you can hear me, but [monica] whats he doing . [lance] can we get a shot of this cold front, right here. Winter has arrived. Whooo hahaha [vo] progress is an unstoppable force. Brace yourself for the season of audi sales event. Audi will cover your first months lease payment on select models during the season of audi sales event. My business was going nowhere. So i built this kickin new website with godaddy. Building a website in under an hour is easy 68 of people. Who have built their website using gocentral, did it in. Under an hour, and you can too. Type in your business or idea. Pick your favourite design. Personalize it with beautiful images. And. Youre done and now business is booming. Harriet, its a double stitch not a cross stitch build a better website in under an hour. Free to try. No credit card required. Gocentral from godaddy. Now back to strange inheritance. Kiki mcgrath inherited prehistoric gardens, a Dinosaur Park which her grandfather, ernie nelson, first opened in 1955. Shes dedicated her life to keeping the roadside attraction in the family and in business. What about when you cant do it anymore . Well, hopefully someone in my family will want to continue on. That puts the pressure on kikis 34yearold daughter, rain. Shes married and living 5,000 miles away, in london. Im really happy right now. This is where i want to be, and it would take a lot to go back and work at the gardens. But in the back of your mind, could you ever see, rain, going back to oregon with your husband . Not fulltime. Its a part of me, but i dont want to be defined by it. That may not be so easy for rain. So, theres just a lot of guilt that i feel, being this far away from home and, you know, not being there to help her. But sorry, guys. Meantime, back in southern oregon, prehistoric gardens still has the power to delight travelers who pull over, stretch their legs, and check out ernie nelsons dinosaurs, not yet extinct. Ive heard of this place since i was a kid. This place is kind of legendary. I think its a mustsee because a couple people just built this by themselves. Its just a great thing to see. Dont you ever come out here and say, i cant do this anymore . Mmhmm. Yeah, i do think that, but when i come out to the registry room and look at these different remarks that people have made, it brings back a feeling of resurgence. Oh, my goodness havent been here in fifty years . Mmhmm. A boyhood fascination never outgrown compels a frustrated accountant to build a dinosaur playground. The future of the prehistoric gardens may be uncertain, but for now, this strange inheritance remains a testament to the will of benniis father, kikis grandfather, and rains greatgrandfather to seize his dream and share it with the world. Its more than just a park now, because its so ingrained in the history of the place. Its not just our park. Its everybodys now. A lot of people tell me that, that go through the gardens. They tell me its magical. I hear that all the time. Theres a magical something out there. But whatever happened to the other part of ernies land that kiki did not inherit, here along the Pacific Coast highway . Her mother and uncle sold it for 1. 6 million bucks and split the profits. The new owners have kept the land undeveloped and say they plan to one day either donate it to the state of oregon or place it in a trust in order to protect its magnificent rain forest forever. Im jamie colby. Thanks so much for watching strange inheritance. And remember you cant take it with you. Dad had a talent. Theres nobody out there who does what he did. He was just that good. But its lost on his son. When youre 16 or 17 years old, the last thing youre worried about is your dad up in a building, building models. This strange inheritance ultimately brings them together. When his father was alive, he did not want larry to touch them, and i can only imagine what hes thinking now. How would you describe this inheritance . A little bit more of a journey than i was prepared for. So, is it time to take a new tack . I know youve said, larry, that youd never seriously considered selling, but now that you hear this. [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] im jamie colby, and today im driving into the oldest settlement in louisiana. Its called natchitoches. Its rich in Southern Charm and civil war history. Battles raged nearby, both along and on the red river. Well, that history inspired one mans remarkable craftsmanship. But it left his son wondering what the heck to do with all the crafts. My name is Larry Atteridge. In 2008, my father passed away and left behind his lifes work a massive fleet of amazingly detailed model ships he built from scratch. Hi, larry. Im jamie. Well, hi, jamie. Nice to meet you. Great to meet you. Thanks for inviting me deep into louisiana. It sure is pretty. Well, ive got a lot to show you. Come this way. Larry invites me in to see some of his fathers civil war ships. This is one cool viewer submission. Which one is that . This is the eastport, which was on the red river here in natchitoches parish. It was one of the largest ironclads of the civil war. It was 280 foot long, and it weighed 770 tons. With the civil war, i first think of great armies clashing at gettysburg, shiloh, and antietam, not naval battles. But thats the story these miniature vessels tell. When war between the states breaks out in 1861, Union General Winfield Scott creates the anaconda plan. The idea blockade southern ports, take control of the mississippi, and, like a huge snake, squeeze the south into submission. The union builds a navy of more than 600 ships. They would commandeer boats from people ferry boats, paddlewheelers, anything that floated and they could put a gun on it. Larrys father, william, made models of many of them. Theres the c. S. S. Gaines, a wooden sidewheel confederate gunboat built in mobile, alabama. Theres the u. S. S. Vicksburg and the c. S. S. Alabama a massive propellerdriven ship built in secrecy in england for the confederacy. All are made precisely to scale. 1 inch here translates to 8 feet on the real vessel. Where did this all begin . Did dad buy a book on ship building . I dont remember anybody ever teaching him how to do this. Its just something you have to be born with. William atteridge jr. Is born in 1929 in highland park, illinois, a suburb of chicago. From an early age, hes fascinated by the ships he sees on Lake Michigan and dreams of one day setting sail. In 1951, during the korean war, william joins the navy and travels the pacific on the u. S. S. Valley forge. The 22yearold specializes in cosmetic maintenance, doing the detail work. The 45 that you see on the u. S. S. Valley forge, he was one of the guys that painted the numbers on the Aircraft Carrier he was on. William is honorably discharged in 1955, returns home, gets married, and starts a family. Larrys the youngest of three kids. The family settles in central louisiana, where williams artistic skills lead him to a job. He started out as a draftsman for the mobilehome industry. He just had an incredible talent for artistry. Did you inherit the artistry gene . No. When hes not buried behind a stack of blueprints, william loves to travel the country. He took us to National Parks all over the united states. But it seemed like we always ended up at a Naval Air Base or some military museum. Then, in the mid1970s, a trip to vicksburg, mississippi, sparks williams creative passion. More than 100 years earlier, the u. S. S. Cairo was the first vessel ever to be sunk using a mine remotely detonated by hand. Williams there to watch it go on display after being raised from the yazoo river. He started getting involved with the Museum People over there, and next thing i knew, he was building ships. The 46yearold father of three starts with his own miniature version of the massive cairo piece by piece, out of pine and cypress. The smokestacks. The deck boards. Cannons. Even miniature ropes. It takes two months. You know, he would make the little doors and the little lifeboats. And then he would paint them and he would drive little nails into the deck. Its amazing. He just went haywire with it, really. Over the next decade, william builds a civil war flotilla. Theres the c. S. S. Virginia, the first steampowered ironclad warship, built by the confederate navy. The u. S. S. Neosho, a union vessel with a steampowered frontgun turret that can spin 360 degrees. Thats some firepower. And the c. S. S. Calhoun, a civilian steamer converted into a 500ton sidewheel gunboat. All with the precision youd expect from a career draftsman. Before he built a ship, hed study it. He had blueprints from the smithsonian institution, and if they didnt exist, he would draw his own set of blueprints. Down to the finest detail. He was a fanatic about it. Was your mom applauding his efforts . Not really. I recall her not being all that thrilled with dad spending a lot of time in the shop. But he wouldnt stop. Oh, no. It became an obsession. By the time william retires in the early 1980s, hes churned out more than 500 ships. Thats when the hobbyist decides to share his fleet with the world. He built an annex on his property, next to the family home in arcadia, louisiana his very own civil war naval museum. Lets be honest most people would build, maybe, an addition to their house. Your dad told your mom, im gonna build a museum for the ships. You know, for lack of better terms, i think he didnt really listen to much about what my mother had to say. William doesnt even let his son touch his delicate crafts. Not that larrys interested. As a young man, i didnt pay as much attention to what he was doing. When youre 16 or 17 years old, the last thing youre worried about is your dad up in a building, building models. But outside the family, word is spreading about a reclusive shipwright in the woods of louisiana. They call from around the country and around the world. Civil war buffs and private collectors not only want to see his work, they want to buy it. Was this profitmaking for him . Thats next. But first, our strange inheritance quiz question. The c. S. S. Virginia was a confederate ironclad warship also known by what name . The answer after the break. Zar one of our investors was in his late 50s right in the heart of the financial crisis, and saw his portfolio drop by double digits. It really scared him out of the markets. His advisor ran the numbers and showed that he wouldnt be able to retire until he was 68. The client realized, i need to get back into the markets i need to get back on track with my plan. The Financial Advisor was able to work with this client. Hes now on track to retire when hes 65. Having someone coach you through it is really the value of a Financial Advisor. Eight hundred dollars whenlmost we switched our auto and home insurance. Liberty did what . Yeah, they saved us a ton, which gave us a little wiggle room in our budget. Wish our insurance did that. Then we could get a real babysitter instead of your brother. Hey, welcome back. This guy. Right . Yes. Ellen. Thats my robe. You could save seven hundred eighty two dollars when liberty stands with you. Liberty mutual insurance. So, by what name was the c. S. S. Virginia also known . The answer is b the merrimack. It was a union ship salvaged by the south and rechristened as the virginia. In 1862, it faced off against the monitor in the first duel between ironclad ships. By the 1990s, William Atteridge has built an armada of nearly 1,000 model ships. Visitors from around the world travel to his makeshift museum in the louisiana woods to see his amazing craft. Did he charge people to come in . His museum was donations only. They would drop a couple dollars in a bucket and hed let them go through there and he would talk them to death. And, finally, it was almost like, okay, we got to go. [ chuckles ] one of his early patrons Louisiana State University Historian gary joiner. Do you remember the first time walking in . Absolutely. The first thing i saw was this giant model of the c. S. S. Arkansas. And i said, you know what youre doing. Was he a teacher . He was to me. He was a historical sponge. Gary commissions william to build ships to use as visual aids in his classes 17 in all. Whatd you pay . I think i paid 175 at the time. Was it a steal . Oh, yes. Without a doubt. He was just that good. Later, even museums commissioned ships from william. Was this profitmaking for him . He didnt make enough. My dad was a very kind soul, and he did a lot of things out of the goodness of his heart. What would it cost for a ship . Back in those days, he might get 300 or 400. And he would spend two months building it. Year after year, he churns out models. Then, in 2005, william is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given six months to live. Larry has long since moved out. He now owns a successful Ambulance Company two hours away. But he starts making the trip back and forth every week. Its the most treasured time he ever spends with his father. During that period of time is when he taught me the most about these ships and about him. The realization came forward that we didnt really know each other. Do you wish you had spent more time with him . Absolutely. We loved each other, but we just didnt have that closeness. William atteridge outlives his prognosis by three years. He dies in 2008 at age 78. Were you with him when he passed . Yes. It was just me and him. I just told him i loved him and, you know, kissed him on the forehead, which is probably the first time i ever remember kissing my father. And with that, larry comes into his strange inheritance more than 100 ships, the blueprints he built them from, as well as the records of another 1,000plus models hes sold through the years an archive of the hobby his father elevated to an art form. Have you had this collection appraised since you inherited it . I did when he first passed away. And i think it was around 130,000. Would you sell . Not for 130,000. The emotional attachment, to me, is worth a great deal more than that. But things can change. And, as you will see, they do for larry more than once. How would you describe this inheritance . It was a little bit more of a journey than i was prepared for. Thats next. Heres another quiz question for you. Extra credit if you can name the war during which it was deployed. Ronoh really . Gs going on at schwab. Thank you clients . Well jd power did just rank them highest in Investor Satisfaction with full Service Brokerage firms. Again. And online equity trades are only 4. 95. I mean you cant have low cost and be full service. Its impossible. Its like having your cake and eating it too. Ask your broker if they offer awardwinning full service and low costs. How am i going to explain this . If you dont like their answer, ask again at schwab. Schwab, a modern approach to wealth management. The answer is a the turtle. Its inventor tried and failed to attach a time bomb to the hull of a british ship in new york harbor during the revolutionary war. Its 2008, and Larry Atteridge has just been left his strange inheritance more than 100 scalemodel civil war ships built by his father, stacks of blueprints, and a request. Do you remember your last conversation . What he asked me to do was to take the collection, to show them in his honor, and keep them together. So youre guarding the fleet . Yes. [ chuckles ] with his fathers ship collection more than two hours away from his home, larry decides to move them to a closer port. A bedandbreakfast in nearby natchitoches agrees to put them on display. These are so delicate. How do you even go about moving that many ships . I rented a 26foot uhaul truck. We got furniture tarps and put them on the floor. Larrys wife, pam, lends a hand with some hesitation. When his father was alive, he did not want larry to touch them, and i can only imagine what hes thinking now. The ships go on exhibit in natchitoches, with larry serving as the curator. But just a year later, with his ambulance business growing, larry decides he no longer has time to manage them. All of a sudden, i realize that i have to move these again. He reaches out to the state of louisiana, and theyre on board. For a second time, larry carefully packs up his sprawling and delicate fleet. This time, he ships it to a state museum in tioga, louisiana. Five years pass. Then, larry receives an alarming phone call. The museums unstable literally. How unstable . It was about to cave in. Then it became kind of a panic situation for us. For a third time, larry scrambles to relocate his strange inheritance. He decides just to bring it home, where the boats will be absolutely safe he thinks. Then, early one morning. My stepdaughter came into the room and said, hey, the house is on fire. The whole house, within five minutes, was in flames. In the 40 minutes it takes the Fire Department to reach their rural location, the atteridge house burns to the ground. We lost everything. So, you escaped with your family, but the ships . They were still in the museum. Thankfully, thered been a delay in delivering custombuilt cabinets to the house, and the models stayed put. Wow. Someone was protecting them. It was just by the grace of god, i think. Unfortunately, most of his fathers sale records for ships that he had sold were in the house and are lost in the fire. Have you ever had a moment where youve said, i do need to sell them . Yes. Its crossed my mind. We know one potential buyer our michael wall, founder of the American Marine Model Gallery in gloucester, massachusetts. When larry called us, we called michael. Ive never seen a collection like this, especially of civil war models. So, whats involved in appraising a collection like this . Well, for example, i chose this model of arkansas because its probably one of the biggest ones in the collection. I love it because of the artistry that is done with the finish. I feel Something Like this would probably be worth between 5,500 and 6,500. Wow. [ Cash Register dings ] the appraiser says William Atteridges model of the u. S. S. Cairo would also go for about 6k. And larry has about 100 more. Michael, what do you sense could happen if larry were willing to part with the collection . Basically, i broke down the collection in three parts the highend, the midrange models, and then the lowrange. The total was 279,000. Okay. [ chuckles ] quite a collection. So, i know youve said, larry, that youd never seriously considered selling, but now that you hear this. Thats next. Whats your strange inheritance story . Wed love to tell it. Send me an email or go to our website, strangeinheritance. Com. At lincoln financial, we get there are some responsibilities of love you gotta do on your own. And some you shouldnt have to shoulder alone. Like ensuring your family is protected, today and tomorrow, no matter what the future brings. See how Life Insurance from lincoln can help start protecting your familys financial future now, at lincolnfinancial. Com. Copdso to breathe better,athe. I go with anoro. Go your own way copd tries to say, go this way. I say, ill go my own way with anoro. Go your own way oncedaily anoro contains two medicines called bronchodilators, that Work Together to significantly improve lung function all day and all night. Anoro is not for asthma. It contains a type of medicine that increases risk of death in people with asthma. The risk is unknown in copd. Anoro wont replace rescue inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than once a day. Tell your doctor if you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, glaucoma, prostate, bladder, or urinary problems. These may worsen with anoro. Call your doctor if you have worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain while taking anoro. Ask your doctor about anoro. Go your own way get your first prescription free at anoro. Com. Now back to strange inheritance. Larry atteridge is weighing his options after receiving an appraisal of 279,000 for more than 100 civil war model ships that his late father painstakingly built over a lifetime. So, larry, how does that compare to the appraisal you got years ago . Well, its a big surprise. Its much higher than it was. Well, your dad did great work, and i think its just a testament to what he put into this. In fact, when you consider that larrys father sold at least 10 times as many models as he kept, there may well be 2 to 3 million of William Atteridge originals floating around the world. Pretty impressive for just an old guy with a hobby. So, larry, i know youve never seriously considered selling, but now that youve heard this, do you change your mind . [ inhales deeply ] well, got a lot to think about. Um. I believe ill hold on to them, keep them in the family and. Great. In the bloodline. Its a lot of money. You couldnt use the money . Obviously, we could use it, but were not in that situation, so. Yeah. Well just hold on to them and keep them in dads honor. And, finally, in a permanent home. Well, here they are. Very, very impressive. Yep. Those display cases finally arrived. So, inside their new house, larry and pam have created a minimaritime museum a contemporary version of the one william had out in the woods all those years ago. Minus, of course, the workshop, the donation bucket, and the modelship builder ready, as his son recalls, to talk his visitors to death. Do you see your father in these . Absolutely. You know, i wake up every day, and there they are. And i think its my longlasting relationship with my father. You know, if it wasnt for that, i dont know that id have anything. In that house fire, larry lost records from about 1,000 of his dads models. Well, hes hoping you can help him locate those missing ships. If you look closely at bill atteridges work, you can sometimes find a sticker with his name, like this one here. And if you see one, email me a picture at jamie strangeinheritance. Com. Thanks so much for watching. And remember you cant take it with you. The victors in the battle of little bighorn welcome an outsider into their ranks. Once they trusted him, they would share things with him. He paints their portraits and gets the inside scoop on custers last stand. White cow bull was the sioux warrior that shot at the officer. His lifes work becomes this womans strange inheritance. Shes convinced its worth millions, but will anyone buy it . Was he an artist or just someone who documented a side of history . [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ]
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