Population roughly 50,000. Right here in enid, they have the Third Largest Storage Capacity for grain on the planet. But wedged in between enids silos lies the tale of a cantankerous legend who left his grandchildren with a very strange inheritance. My name is stuart piontek, and in 2003, my brothers and sisters and i inherited something pretty unusual from my grandfather. His name was oliver jordan, and he died at 95. He was a child of the dust bowl. Grandpa would hold on to just about everything that passed through his life, whether it was a tin can, an automobile, a piece of copper wire. And oliver jordan kept it all here. For 60 years. This salvage lot was his home, his sanctuary, his fort knox. Hi, stuart welcome to paradise. I found it the rusted old cars in this shed some of them relics of the roaring 20s are a few of the more than 200 that jordan accumulated over his lifetime. Born in 1908, jordan was raised on a wheat farm. But his real interest was that fabulous new invention, the car. Grandpa was around machinery all the time, and automobiles were just beginning to happen. He got interested, and it was just a lifelong passion. Jordan grows up, gets married, and then, at 34 years old, abandons his wife and three young kids for a 16yearold girl in town. When my mother and her brother and sister were still children, my grandfather left the family for another woman. Her name was ruby, and that was quite a scandal. Everybody was hurt by it. In 1946, oliver buys a salvage yard in enid, where he and ruby live, and where he makes money selling old cars and parts. Oliver runs the salvage yard successfully for seven years. But then in 1953, he gets into a nasty argument with the town of enid over zoning and regulations two words he detests. The city came in and told him he had to put in a bathroom and do some other things, and grandpa just didnt like to be told what to do. He was just not a rule follower. Yeah, he was like, then fine. Ill close the doors. And thats what he did. Oliver continues to hoard old cars. He cuts himself off from most of his family and rarely lets another soul inside the shuttered salvage yard. Pretty much everybody in this town would drive by grandpas property and see all these old cars sitting right there. And some people they thought they were an eye sore, you know. Enid native brad waken recalls venturing over to the old mans place as a very young car buff in the 1970s. I walked across the street. It was, mr. Jordan, im looking for a starter for a continental sixcylinder engine. Do you have one . Well, after a long pause he basically said, well, its gonna be 50. Well, came back about a month later with my 50. He said, nope. 75. [ chuckles ] i learned a little bit of horse trading at that point in time. As a boy, stuart never gets to know grandpa oliver. Stuarts mom, olivers daughter, dies when stuart is only six a tragedy that separates him further from his grandfather. We would come to town to visit my grandfather, and grandpa had all these cars out in front of his property. Its like a little boys wonderland. And he had them protected with a fence and with big mean dogs. We couldnt get past the dogs. Did you ever wish that he spent more time with you . You know were you curious about him . Yeah, i was eager for the opportunity to get to know him. After his mothers death, stuart and his family move away. When stuart graduates high school in 1984, he decides to take a summer road trip back to enid. I got a Greyhound Bus ticket and went out to enid on my own. He took me over to his shop, and for the first time, i got to spend some time with my grandfather. And with all those cars. Sure, they look like heaps of scrap, but stuart comes to understand this was his grandfathers pride and joy, his collection. Its centerpiece these two depressionera cords. Grandpa had a fascination with the cord, because it was the first car that had frontwheel drive, and they had done some really ingenious things under the hood. After his high school road trip, stuart heads out west for college and then launches a successful furniture business in San Francisco. Then, in the fall of 2000, a call from out of the blue sends stuart scrambling back to enid. He opens the door [chuckles] and hes covered from head to toe in feathers. Thats next. But first, our strange inheritance quiz question. The answer when we return. I switched to liberty mutual, because they let me customize my insurance. And as a fitness junkie, i customize everything, like my bike, and my calves. Liberty mutual customizes your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. So, what was the lowest priced massproduced american car . Its b, the 1925 ford model t runabout. At 260, it sold for 5 less than the 1924 model. For half a century, cantankerous junkyard owner oliver jordan accumulates hundreds of old cars, some very rare and mostly intact, but all of them rusting as he grows old. Then, in the fall of 2000, his grandson stuart gets a phone call that opens the door to a new relationship and to a strange inheritance. Ruby, his companion of 60 years, had fallen off a ladder and broken her hip, and she was in the hospital. She called worried about grandpa, because he was back at the house and he was 94 years old. And that was the open door. And it took till his 90s, really. Yeah, because of who he was. He didnt want to need anybody. Stuart hops on a plane to oklahoma, not knowing what to expect. So, here i knock on the door. Hes 64, and even at 94, he has got quite a commanding presence. And he opens the door [chuckles] and hes covered from head to toe in feathers. He and ruby had a couple of dogs, and one of the dogs had torn up the feather bed. There was something about him that still just commanded respect, even covered in feathers. Seeing oliver in such a terrible state, stuart decides to stay in oklahoma for a while and take care of his grandfather. I was getting to know my grandfather through these cars. He was so proud to be showing them to me and me experiencing his lifes work and his pride and joy. To stuart, two things become immediately clear. First, oliver knows he doesnt have much time left. And second, hes worried about the fate of those cars. At one point, he said, thank god for you. Thank god for you. And i think he was so worried about what would happen to his things. Stuarts no car expert, but he does his homework and confirms that the centerpiece of the whole collection is indeed those cords from the 1930s, the ones he remembers from his high school road trip. What did the last cord sell for . Im not sure, but maybe not more than 400 of these or 500 of these were ever made. Bestcase scenario. Im thinking bestcase scenario, restored, is probably 300,000, 350,000 maybe. Thoughts like that lead stuart down a road that will take him more than a decade to travel and cost him plenty. Just for starters, he lays out tens of thousands of dollars to ship in secure containers and build a steel Storage Building to house the most prized cars. Its his lifes work, but also if these things are so valuable, why are they just rotting away here, you know . And someone has to step in and do something about it. In august 2003, oliver jordan dies at the age of 95, leaving his enormous Automobile Collection to stuart and his siblings. The original windows that they would stick in the sides. Stuart tells me this 1924 rollin touring car is one of his personal favorites. The model was popular among bootleggers during prohibition. So, theres toggle switches on the dashboard where they would turn off the taillights if they were being followed by somebody. To hide the booze. Thats right. But these cars represent just a snippet of olivers vast collection. Ive never seen anything like this, stuart. There are so many cars. Its quite a strange thing to inherit, isnt it . Before he dies, oliver gives stuart some business advice. He said, now, dont sell all of those cars and parts all at once. You sell them one at a time. cause youd make more money that way. But after trying to sell a couple online, stuart realizes it would take the rest of his life to sell them onebyone. Turns out just getting the titles for all these old cars takes months. You had to get title to every single one of these cars . Theyre from the 30s. How do you that . Let me show you. First, you have to find the cars i. D. Numbers. Oh, my god. You can still read it well, we had to polish it off. But we were able to actually get titles for the majority of the cars. The years click by like odometer miles. And stuart keeps spending more to authenticate and protect the old cars. A lot of plane trips from San Francisco and back, too. By 2013, he says, hes invested 400,000 getting the collection primed for auction. Ready or not, its time to sell. Hey, jamie. Hi. How are you, yvette . Stuart contacts auctioneer Yvette Vanderbrink to appraise the collection. So, is stuart sitting on a pile of junk or a potential gold mine . Theres about 220 of them. Theyre mostly american cars, and theyre prewar, which is pre1942. Very rare cars, cause at the start of world war ii, they started limiting production. And you could only get one from a ration coupon. Stuart and yvette make plans for a oneday auction right here on the salvage lot. Word begins to spread about oliver jordans old treasures. Stuart soon learns thats not altogether a good thing. We arrived at the property and found someone had cut through the fence and then cut a hole in the side of this building the size of a human body, and they stole over 250 antique radiators, tons of chrome parts, a lot of nice stuff. The antique radiators alone are worth nearly 40,000. But the biggest loss for stuart is the theft of olivers rare and beloved 1904 harleydavidson, possibly worth several hundred thousand dollars. So, it really set us back, and we had to hire additional security and we had to move the auction forward. That entails some wordofmouth advertising by him and some seatofthepants hotrodding by me. You have this thing insured . Yes, i do. Oh, good thing, because theres a tree right there. Thats next. [ tires squeal ] heres another quiz question for you. The answer when we return. I switched to miralax for my constipation. Stimulant laxatives forcefully stimulate the nerves in your colon. Miralax works with the water in your body to unblock your system naturally. And it doesnt cause bloating, cramping, gas, or sudden urgency. Miralax. Look for the pink cap. But allstate helps you. With drivewise. Feedback that helps you drive safer. And that can lower your cost now that you know the truth. Are you in good hands . Wanna take your xfi now you can with xfi advantage. Giving you enhanced performance and protection. When devices are connected to your homes wifi, theyre protected. Helping keep outsiders from getting inside. And if someone tries, well let you know. So you can stream, surf and game all you want, with confidence you can get coverage where you need it most. Thats xfi advantage. Make your xfi even better. Upgrade today. Call, click or visit a store. So, which of these deceased celebritys cars sold for the highest bid at auction . Its the actor steve mcqueen. In 2013, his ford gt40 sold for 11 million. Stuart piontek is racing to auction off his strange inheritance hundreds of vintage cars. His grandfathers lifelong obsession has become stuarts own. Hes invested 13 years and 400,000 in the collection. I catch up with him at the hot Rod Association rally in oklahoma city. Hi, my name is stuart. Did you know my grandfather . While stuart works the crowd, im gonna see if i can get behind the wheel of one of these soupedup automobiles. How are you doing . Hey, im jamie. Hello, jamie. How are you . Hello, im steven. Tell me about this car. Well its a 37 chevrolet, so its 77 years old. So, ive had it quite a bit of its life. Part of the family. Yes, it is. Oh, my. Ive just gotten the keys. We can do that. Lets go. All right. You have this thing insured . Yes, i do. Oh, good thing, because theres a tree right there. All right. Hold on. Whoohoo now were talking [ tires screech ] this would work for me in new york. Auctioneer Yvette Vanderbrink is here, too. So, yvette, you know, you see these shiny red cars, and, i mean, you can tell there must be some value here. But some of them look like junk. But theyre not . No. Theyre not junk. You know, its a different trend in the carcollecting hobby now. That trend is called patina. It refers to the factoryoriginal paint that shows the ravages of time. Some car collectors relish that vintage, barnfind look and spray a clear coat of varnish on top to preserve it. That could be good news for the rarest cars stuart has those two cords from the 1930s. But if youre like me, youre wondering what they might look like restored. I didnt have to go far to find out. Remember brad waken, who once tried to buy a starter from old oliver jordan . Hes now a cord aficionado. Hes spent over 30 years restoring this cord. Its a stunning example of what a cord looks like in all its glory. We went through the engine, we painted it, we fixed the interior. Its something that we looked at restoring history and not just putting on a nice paint job and chroming everything. [ indistinct p. A. Announcement ] [ auctioneer calling ] on june 7, 2014, its finally the big day of the auction. Were gonna have fun and were gonna book and i just killed 10 minutes. Auctioneer Yvette Vanderbrink welcomes a crowd of at least 300 people. Hope i covered everything for you. All right . Stuarts sister starla crosses her fingers. Its been a lot of hard work. I hope that stuart just at least he gets back what hes put into it and that my other siblings, that what theyve put into it, they get back. All right, guys this was one of mr. Jordans favorite vehicles. Stuarts put in 400 grand. Will he get it back . 35,000. I have 40,000. 40,000. Thats next. Guys, i want you to meet someone. This is jamie. Youre going to be seeing a lot more of him now. Im not calling him dad. Oh, nno. Look, [sighs] i get it. Some new guy comes in helping your mom bundle and save with progressive, but hey, were all in this together. Right, champ . Im getting more nuggets. How about some carrots . You dont want to ruin your dinner. Youre not my dad thats fair. Overstepped. Most people think a button is just a button. That a speaker is just a speaker. Or that the journey cant be the destination. Most people havent driven a lincoln. Discover the lincoln approach to craftsmanship at the lincoln summer invitation. Right now, get 0 apr on all 2019 lincoln vehicles plus no payments for up to 90 days. Only at your lincoln dealer. Plus no payments for up to 90 days. Going back to the doctor just for a shot. With neulasta onpro. Patients get their day back. To be with. Family. Or just to sleep in. Strong chemo can put you at risk of serious infection. In a key study. Neulasta reduced the risk of infection from 17 . To 1 . A 94 decrease. Neulasta onpro is designed to deliver. Neulasta the day after chemo. And is used by most patients today. Neulasta is for certain Cancer Patients receiving strong chemotherapy. Do not take neulasta if youre allergic to it or Neupogen Filgrastim . An incomplete dose could increase infection risk. Ruptured spleen, sometimes fatal as well as serious lung problems, allergic reactions, kidney injuries and capillary leak syndrome. Have occurred. Report abdominal or shoulder tip pain, trouble breathing. Or allergic reactions to your doctor right away in patients with sickle cell disorders, serious, sometimes. Fatal crises can occur. The most common side effect. Is bone and muscle ache. Ask your doctor. About neulasta onpro. Pay no more than 5 per dose with copay card. Now back to strange inheritance. The buzz over oliver jordans antiquecar auction has brought collectors from all over the country to enid, oklahoma. Some are just looking to buy parts, but others are here with plenty to spend for just the right vehicle. I came with a trailer and a pickup, and if i have to, ill run back and get a bigger truck and a bigger trailer to haul more cars. [ auctioneer calling ] you have to be quick to purchase in this game. These cars can go in less than a minute. [ calling ] sold it [ calling ] sold it sold it sold it sold it 9,600. People seem in good spirits, and things seem to moving pretty well, so its going pretty good. Stuarts cautiously optimistic as oliver jordans two beloved cords are about to go up for bid. Stuart thinks theyd each be worth six figures if fully restored. But how much in this condition . The 1937 cord 812 beverly supercharged. This was one of mr. Jordans favorite vehicles. Its going to need every little piece restored. Okay. 35,000. I have 40,000. 40,000. Yes now 42,000. [ calling ] sold it 42,000. Going to new york. What will the second cord fetch . Tara, what do you got . I got 20,000. 20,000, and were going. [ calling ] sold it 22,000. Its over in seconds. The same anonymous telephone bidder pays 64,000 for both cars. Stuart says hes not disappointed. In this condition, thats a great price for them as much as we could have hoped for. And its really great because theyre gonna move on. After an emotional day, the grand total for this auction 540,000. Subtract the 400,000 stuart invested and its a profit of 140,000 to split with his siblings. Add in all that time the family invested in this strange inheritance, and its no windfall. So, here we go. Whoohoo thats a good one. All right. Then again, watching the grandchildren of oliver jordan pop open the bubbly has to make you wonder was their 13yearold enterprise ever really about turning rusted iron into gold . Or was it about a different kind of alchemy one, perhaps, that restores broken and brittle family ties into strong, lifelong bonds . We lost our mother when we were rather young, and we didnt really get to know her parents that well, and so this brought us closer. Would grandpa what would he say . Hed say, stuart. I think hed say, im proud of you, you know . Would that be important for you to hear from your grandfather . Yeah, definitely. And thats really what it was about for me doing right by him and by my family. Stuart sold all of his grandpas cars, and he regretted losing only one the 1924 rollin touring car. It was a favorite of prohibition bootleggers, and on auction day, an 86yearold woman came just to see it. She explained that her grandfather had driven it to the hospital the day she was born and then sold it to oliver jordan. Of all the stories about this strange inheritance, this may have been stuarts favorite. So, stuart asked the man that bought the touring car for 4,800 to let him know if he ever resold it. Stuart might want to buy that one back. Im jamie colby for strange inheritance. Thanks so much for watching, and remember you cant take it with you. Do you have a strange inheritance story youd like to share with us . Wed love to hear it. Send me an email or go to our website, strangeinheritance. Com. It stands in the way. Its just her house in the middle of the block. She wont sell out. The 84yearold seen here turned down 1 million payout. Hes caught in the middle. I promised her that i wouldnt let them take her away. Thats a really big promise. Whats up with that . People from all over the country and even around the world have stopped by this house. They put balloons on the house, and thats how it became the up house. It is amazing. I cant believe that she held out. [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] im jamie colby, and today, im in seattle, headed toward the ballard neighborhood. Its an upscale area once known for sawmills and commercial fishing, and just down the road is one mans strange inheritance and a story with a hollywood ending. My names barry martin. I inherited a tiny, hundredyearold house from a little old lady. If there ever was a realestate niche, this is one. Hi, barry. Im jamie. Hi, jamie. Nice to meet you. I meet barry in front of this little house. Yep, this is it his strange inheritance. Its just 600 square feet, and its now surrounded by a huge Shopping Mall a mall that the unlikely heir in this story helped build. Who leaves this to somebody . Well, edith left it to me. Edith . Yep. Love to learn more. Okay. Come on. Barry explains that when this house was built over a hundred years ago, ballard, washington, was the shinglemill capital of the world, with 20 mills producing 3 million shingles a day. There was fishing on elliot bay there, and the shinglemill industry, all along shilshole avenue here. Cass ocallaghan from the Ballard Historical Society tells me more. Did the neighborhood really change over the years . In about the late 30s, early 40s, the commercial district moved north and businesses moved out. Nobody wanted to be here anymore. With the exception, that is, of Edith Macefield and her retired single mother, alice wilson. Ediths early life is a bit mysterious. We know she was born in august 1921, and that her parents divorced shortly thereafter. During her 20s, edith disappears to england, she says, where she seems to have gotten married once or thrice. But, again, its hard to tell fact from fiction. [ camera shutter clicks ] by the 1950s, shes back in ballard, single, and working as a store manager for spic n span dry cleaners. Edith buys this house for her mother and the two name it whitewood cottage. Edith is able to pay off the 3,700 mortgage in just a few years. In her off hours, she babysits for nextdoor neighbor gayle holland. Hi, gayle. You know why im here to hear about edith. Ive got a lot to tell you. Come on in. Our street was very quiet and edith would play games with us. So she was older, but she loved to hang out with children . Oh, yes. Everybody liked edith. She would play her saxophone or her trumpet outside. We would sit and listen to her, and shed let us blow on her instruments. What a character they ask her about her past, and, oh, the stories she tells. I know she had a son who died of meningitis. Edith shares only a few sketchy details that the boy was born out of wedlock, that his father was jewish, that james macefield, a much older englishman, married her to help save the boy from the nazis. Its all very complicated. You see, edith was spying on hitler for britain at the time. Is it all true . Who knows . Gayle just loves hanging out with her eccentric neighbor, until her family, like so many others, abandons the area. So, you left and edith stayed. Yes. It was the early 60s when we moved away. In 1976, ediths mother, alice, passes away on the couch in the front room. Not long after, edith retires and spends her days watching greta garbo videos and listening to big bands on vinyl. More and more, whitewood cottage stands apart her oasis amid urban blight. By the 90s, homeless living in parked cars provide an edgy backdrop for the grungerock scene. But all the while, developers are slowly gobbling up ediths neighborhood, says realestate broker paul thomas. Each time a parcel came up on the market, theyd just quietly acquire it and let it sit in an llc, and they assembled the whole entire block, except for her house. Its in early 2006 when edith gets the knock at her door. Its a representative of kg investment management, which wants to put up a Shopping Mall. The developer makes a proposal they think the 84yearold cant refuse 750,000 what do you think the house was worth . 150,000. [ chuckles ] it wasnt worth very much. Edith could buy five whitewood cottages. Even so, she does refuse the offer. And the bulldozers roll around her. I have a picture when they tore everything down in the whole block and it was just her house in the middle of the block. Reporters catch wind of the story and turn edith into a local folk hero a steadfast champion against yuppification, standing up for seattles old neighborhoods, defying the encroaching chain boutiques, food courts, and those 6 lattes. Thats how they portray edith. And thats exactly who barry martin expects when he becomes construction manager of the mall. How did you meet edith . I always go visit the neighbors and give them my card so that if they have any problems, they know who to get ahold of, and i walked past her yard and introduced myself. She was actually very pleasant and said she was looking forward to the activity. Turns out, edith wasnt watching garbo flicks because she vanted to be alone. That becomes clear with ediths beautyshop appointment. She needs a ride, so she calls barry. Not exactly what he was thinking when he dropped off his card, but what the heck . He drives her. They get to talking. A lot of people thought that she was against development, and that wasnt the case at all. It was more she just didnt want to go through the exercise of having to move. Indeed, edith actually makes fun of the antidevelopment types, who, among other things, are trying to get landmark status for the local dennys. Ediths view things get built, things get torn down. Thats the way of the world. It wouldnt be their last car talk. Soon, barrys coworkers call him driving miss daisy. Could you rattle off for me some of the errands you were asked to do for her . I would take her laundry out to be done. We would go get her lunch. I would take her to all of her doctors appointments. She didnt pay you. No. She just needed it. Youre not a saint. Nope. But his wife and two highschoolage children surely have the patience of job, when barry spends more and more time at ediths. I made her meals three times a day, seven days a week. On the weekends, basically, id stay there, and if not, then i had made sure that somebody else was there. Barry isnt there one night when edith falls and lands in the hospital with broken ribs and a platoon of social workers insisting she should no longer live alone. Then tagteaming executives from the Development Company show up again with a deed ready to sign and another big fat check. They offered her 1 million and actually offered to buy a house for her in ballard and she refused that, also. 1 million for a little old granny and a new house in her neighborhood, and she says no. Yes. What would you have done . I would have probably taken the money and had somebody fanning me with big feathers and feeding me figs. The 84yearold seen here turned down 1 million payout. It just adds to the Edith Macefield legend a story that cant help but go national. Whats infuriating barry is that he believes hes cast as one of the black hats, trying to manipulate old edith into selling out. The truth, he says, is just the opposite. I promised her that, um, i wouldnt let them take her away and that she could stay there and die in her house. Thats a really big promise. It is. And it became a lot bigger deal than, you know, i had originally anticipated. Thats next. But first, our strange inheritance quiz question where was americas first indoor Shopping Mall built . The answer in a moment. vo the hamsters, run hopelessly in their cage. Content on their endless quest, to nowhere. But perhaps this year, a more exhilarating endeavor awaits. Defy the laws of human nature,at the summer of audi sales event. Get exceptional offers now. Its b minnesota. The Southdale Center in edina, the countrys first fullyenclosed, climatecontrolled mall, opened in 1956. In 2008, 86yearold Edith Macefield and her whitewood cottage stand in the way of a Shopping Mall. Barry martins job is to build that mall. But hes also made it his lifes work to keep edith in her home. Barry didnt even know edith two years before. Now he just doesnt know what to make of her. She had a lot of stories to tell and she never really finished a story. But, boy, the way she drops names, youd think shes forrest gump. Like hitler she met him several times, ended up in a concentration camp, and was sprung by the fuhrer himself. Benny goodman her cousin, she claimed he gave her her clarinet. Tommy dorsey, the band leader once, when he was short on cash, she bought his sax. Mickey rooney she taught him dance steps. And so on. Barry has one thought ediths a wack job. I was thinking crazy old lady for a while. But in the winter of 2007, ediths health suddenly declines. Just as suddenly, the construction manager finds himself doing things he really never signed up for helping edith shower, use the bathroom, take her medicine, including insulin shots. A big question occurs to barry what happens when the mall is done and he moves to another job . What happens if edith lives to 100 . That wont happen. In april 2008, edith is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She declines treatment and, knowing shell soon need someone else to make her decisions, gives barry her power of attorney. Its a big responsibility. Did you really want it . I didnt really want it, and i didnt really understand exactly what all it meant. Uhoh. Yeah, uhoh. I said, do you understand the power youre giving me . And she said, why do you think i chose you . Did you know all along that you were going to get that house . No. I didnt know until after she asked me to become her power of attorney. Then she said that she wanted to redo her will at that same time. Barrys a bit sheepish, knowing many suspect him of angling for the house from the beginning. But thats her wish like her desire to die on the same couch as her mother three decades earlier. And on june 15, 2008, death does come as a friend to whitewood cottage. I promised her that i wouldnt let them take her away and that she could stay there and die in her house. Does it make you emotional . It does. Why . Um. Because i got to help her end her life the way she wanted to. The little house in the big mall is now barrys. But soon hell discover that, thanks to a hollywood blockbuster, Edith Macefield fans will claim it as their own. There were people out on the sidewalk taking pictures and leaving little notes and putting up balloons with messages on them. Thats next. Heres another quiz question for you. Youve met barry martin, the construction manager in this story. The answer after the break. Hmm. Exactly. Liberty mutual customizes your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. Nice. But, uh. Whats up with your. Partner . Not again. Limu thats your reflection. Only pay for what you need. Liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty who used expedia to book the Vacation Rental which led to the discovery that sometimes a little down time can lift you right up. Expedia. Everything you need to go. Its a revolution in sleep. The sleep number 360 smart bed is on sale now during our lowest prices of the season. It senses your movement, and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. It even helps with this. So you wake up ready to hit the ground running. Dont miss our 4th of july special with the queen sleep number 360 c4 smart bed now 1299. Plus, free premium delivery when you add a base. Ends sunday. Sleep number. Proven, quality sleep. Its a, John Ratzenberger. Just a coincidence hes a dead ringer for barry martin, the heir in this strange inheritance story. Its spring 2009, and barry martin is trying to figure out what to do with his strange inheritance a house he helped build a mall around. The owner, Edith Macefield, had died the year before, and barry assumes memories of her will fade, too. But then disney comes acalling. Its ready to release an animated feature called up. Its about a crotchety old man who, just like edith, refuses to sell his house to a developer. Disney wants to use ediths house to promote the film. They wanted to put balloons on the house for their premiere here in seattle, so they came out and put balloons on the house and took a picture and thats how it became the up house. Did you think it was a good idea . I thought it was rather funny, myself, and then after i saw the movie, theres actually some photographs that look very similar to the picture in the movie. Soon, ediths cottage and that of character Carl Fredricksen are associated as one. There were people out on the sidewalk taking pictures and leaving little notes and putting up balloons with messages on them. And inspirational, it sounds like. Very. Inspirational to different people for different reasons. Kids loved it because they thought it was really the house from the movie. Youd see grownups crying on the sidewalk. She stuck to her guns, you know, even though she could have made a ton of money. This woman was kind of the last holdout. She wanted to keep her home, and thats huge. Its amazing. I cant believe that she held out. But by the time the movie up comes out, the nation is in a downer the great recession. And barrys real life is anything but a storybook fantasy. That was right about when we had our downturn. I was out of work. So, barry decides its time to sell ediths house. She once turned down 1 million for the place, but the window on that offer closed long ago. Did she tell you she would be okay with you selling it . Oh, yeah, and she told me to hold out until i got my price. What did you sell it for . I sold it for 310,000. [ Cash Register dings ] what did you do with the money, may i ask . Paid for my kids to go to school. I invested the money and got money back monthly, and it made my house payment. Thats not nothing. Plus, barry says the new owners planned in the spirit of up to raise ediths house 20 feet off the ground and make a public tribute to her below. But they run out of money, and the house falls into foreclosure. What was your role in all this . I was hired by the bank to sell the house for them. The bank includes a provision in the face of pressure from local Community Groups who want an homage to their folk hero. One of the terms of the sale was that each person was required to memorialize edith in some way. 38 offers come in, but its the 39th that wins at 450,000. [ Cash Register dings ] the buyer . The same folks who offered edith 1 million years before kg investments, now the manager of the Shopping Mall. They plan to knock the house down, eventually. So, ultimately, ediths house went to the organization that wanted to buy it all along. Well, its kind of neat in a way because she got what she wished for and the Shopping Center ended up being able to buy the property at a lot lower price than they originally had offered. Will they do anything to remember edith . The ownership has committed that theyll put up a brass plaque that memorializes edith. It will be just one more way the Ballard Community pays tribute to its folk hero. Theres also an annual Edith Macefield music festival. You can even get a tattoo of ediths house with the legend underneath steadfast. For the heir in this strange inheritance episode, thats further proof edith was misunderstood. Maybe even, hed discover, by himself. You must have learned an awful lot about edith once you started to go through her things. I learned a lot more than she had let me know. Thats next. Whats your strange inheritance story . Wed love to tell it. Send me an email or go to our website strangeinheritance. Com. We call it the mother standard of care. Its something we take personally, and believe in passionately. Its the idea that if our mothers were diagnosed with cancer, how would we want them to be treated . Thats exactly how we care for you. With answers and actions. To hear your concerns, quiet your fears, lift your spirits. With teams of cancer experts and specialists, delivering advanced Treatment Options and compassionate support every step of the way. All here in one place, with one purpose. To fight your cancer, together. Thats the mother standard of care. This is how we inspire hope. This is how we heal. Cancer Treatment Centers of america. Appointments available now. Cancer Treatment Centers of america. Still nervous about buying uhoh, la new house. Meones is it that obvious . Yes it is. You know, maybe youd worry less if you got geico to help with your homeowners insurance. I didnt know geico could helps with homeowners insurance. Yep, theyve been doing it for years. What are you doing . Big steve . Thanks, man. There he is. Get to know geico and see how much you could save on homeowners and renters insurance. Now back to strange inheritance. Barry martin doesnt just inherit Edith Macefields home, but Everything Else she owned. Wow, you must have learned an awful lot about edith, once you started to go through her things. I learned a lot more than she had let me know. And enough to question whether all her stories were as wacko as he once thought. Did she have a vivid imagination, or do you think most of it was real . Im a little im not quite you still dont know. I still dont know. Exactly. What did you find . Well, evidence that she was benny goodmans cousin this album, inscribed your cousin, benny goodman. And quite personal notes from alist actors clark gable, katharine hepburn, spencer tracy, and errol flynn. Theres charlie chaplin. Theres tommy and jimmy dorsey. Okay, okay nothing about meeting hitler or being a spy. Still, it dawns on barry that the most valuable thing edith bequeathed to him could be her story now his. I had an agent contact me about writing a book, and she actually talked me into doing it. You ever write a book before . No, never written a book before, and she got me a ghostwriter, and we did it that way. Whats the story . The story is basically about edith and myself and our little adventure and then the lessons that i learned. Under one roof gets barry a 75,000 advance from the publisher. And thats not all. Actually in the process of making a deal with fox searchlight. Did you ever think youd be making a book and a movie about all this . No. I just about fall down on the floor laughing because its hysterical to me. I think it could work. Im picturing a driving miss daisy type of guy meets a female forrest gump and they go on a reallife up adventure. And definitely got to give John Ratzenberger the lead. Theres a scene in the movie up that sounds exactly like one edith might have had with barry. Carl fredricksen, the man whose house the realestate Company Wants to buy, says to the construction foreman, tell your boss he can have my house. Really . Asks the foreman. Yeah, when im dead, growls carl and slams the door. Im jamie colby for strange inheritance. Thanks so much for watching, and remember you cant take it with you. A wild west pioneer. Theres a saying, the cowards didnt come. So you had to be brave. He truly was the john wayne of the 19th century. He leaves behind a trunk of relics. And a classic, woven into the fabric of america itself. There was a pair of old blue jeans in here. Whatd they look like . They said that they were the oldest unworn pair they had ever seen. Thats unbelievable. So are the lengths to which folks go for vintage old denim. Finding any levis pre1900 is a massive rarity. Thats the holy grail. What do you think theyre worth . [ door creaks ] [ wi