Transcripts For FBC FBN AM 20161124

Im jamie colby, and, today, im driving up a long, steep hill in portola valley, california, near san francisco. Im here to visit the heirs of a man who made the record books with his incredibly strange collection. And if im lucky, i may even get to ditch this s. U. V. And take the controls of a serious offroad ride. My name is allison littlefield. These are my half brothers, david and scott. When our father died, in 2009, we inherited 240 armored military vehicles. Lots and lots of tanks. Hi, allison. Im jamie. Hi. Nice to meet you. Thanks for having me up. This is a magnificent ranch. The ranch is very nice, but im here to see something else. Come this way. These are real . These are real. This is one of several buildings on the littlefield ranch where they garage their strange inheritance. Some guys collect stamps and coins. Their dad, Jacques Littlefield, collected tanks. In fact, what you see here is part of the Worlds Largest private collection of Armored Vehicles. Allison tells me some of these tanks are incredibly rare, including this world war ii German Panzer iv. This 8ton half track. And this sherman tank. What a collection. It is a real preservation of history, and thats what im so excited about. So, how did all of this get started . Well, Jacques Littlefield is born in 1949, the son of edmund wattis littlefield, heir to a prosperous mining and landdevelopment Company Called utah construction. At an early age, jacques develops a strong interest in all things mechanical. This is him as a young boy, playing with his model train set. He looks almost like he could be in an ad for trains. I know. Its such a sweet picture. [ gunfire ] in the late 60s, the vietnam war is raging, but jacques is never drafted, due to hearing loss from a childhood bout with encephalitis. He attends stanford university. After majoring in economics, he goes to bschool, then takes a job at hewlettpackard. Thats where the 23year old littlefield meets his new boss, bill boller, who becomes a lifelong friend. He shares with bill his latest passion tanks. Where did it begin . He checked a book out of the library called american tanks and tank destroyers. And that book attracted his attention so much that he said it all started there. Jacques First Military purchase in 1976, for 3,500 is this m3a1 world war ii wheeled scout car, which saw combat both in north africa and the invasion of sicily. I find it ironic that he collected tanks even when people were antiwar. Would he have shown up at a protest . Jacques was conservative in his politics, so no. He would definitely not have shown up at a protest and probably would have pretty much ignored it. 1976 is also the year jacques father sells the Family Business empire to general electric, in what was then the biggest merger in u. S. History. His dads now a billionaire, and son jacques leaves hp to manage his personal fortune. He takes up residence here, at pony tracks ranch, gets married, and starts a family. Scott, what do you remember most about your dad . Building stuff. We used to go to the woodshop and make things there. Id have birthday parties, and wed get to go around on a sherman tank. One of my favorite events was our 4th of july party. [ all cheering ] my dad started a tradition of getting an old, beatup car, and then he would crush it with a tank in the field out here. [ laughs ] a truly Successful Army is one that will not be called upon to fight, for no one will dare to provoke it. The timing of jacques interest in tanks is perfect. With the u. S. Military expanding under president reagan, the pentagon is getting rid of a lot of outdated equipment. Jacques snatches up a few tanks and then a few more, including this m5a1 stuart tank, built by cadillac back in 1943, a model used in the invasion of normandy. Jacques buys it for 20,000. The end of the cold war and then the first gulf war lead to more tankbuying opportunities. Jacques pounces. Sherman tanks. This m1917 6ton tractor. A russian t72 used by saddam husseins forces. Even a scud missile launcher. Jacques builds these barns to house them all. This is him working at the tankrestoration shop here on property. He was very involved in the process. He really enjoyed it. So its a professional operation. Oh, yeah. I mean, he had a great team of people who would rebuild these things down to the nuts and bolts. I remember i was in ukraine and i saw a tv show starring my dad. This has about 750 to 800 horsepower. It was a strange experience. In 1999, at the age of 50, jacques is staggered by a coloncancer diagnosis and goes into treatment. I was in a bit of shock when i first found out. Did he tell you or did he hide it to himself . He was very good at hiding it. He always had a really positive attitude. And a lifestooshort outlook that, as his cancer goes into remission, sends his tankbuying into overdrive. He told me he was bringing in about one tank a week. Do you have any idea how much money he spent . [ laughs ] a lot. Yeah. I prefer not to think about it sometimes, but, yeah, definitely, it was his passion. Coming up, the tank and the challenge Jacques Littlefield was most passionate about. Plus, its my turn at the controls. Okay, im up. How do i get in . Any way you can get down in there is fair game. But, first, our strange inheritance quiz question. How did these Armored Vehicles become known as tanks . The answer in a moment. This is your daughter. And she just got this. Ooh boy. But, youve got hum. So you can set this. And if she drives like this, you can tell her to drive more like this. Because youll get this. You can even set boundaries for so if she should be here, but instead goes here, here, or here. Youll know. So dont worry, mom. Because you put this, in here. Hum by verizon. The technology designed to make your car smarter, safer and more connected. Put some smarts in your car. Whythen get worse . Nks taste chalky . Introducing protein shots from 5hour energy. Protein shots from 5hour energy are smooth and tasty, and still deliver 21 grams of protein with 100 calories. Theyre great for workouts, no matter how you work out. Whether youre going for reps. Or laps. Or distance. You gotta try it. Period. Protein shots from 5hour energy. Great taste. 100 calories. 21 grams of protein. The answer is c. During world war i, the british coined the term as a code name to keep their development a secret. I try not to have too many duplicates of what other collections would have lots of. In the early 2000s, Jacques Littlefield, the worlds foremost armoredvehicle collector, seems to be beating colon cancer. The fight lays him low, physically, but it only revs up his passion for tanks and more tanks. He asks his dear friend bill boller to help restore them. He told me he was bringing in about one tank a week, every week for the last several years. By 2007, jacques shopping spree gets him into the guinness book of World Records for the largest private collection of Armored Vehicles, with 229 of them. Only a year later, he has 240. But his cancer returns with a vengeance, and in january 2009, he tells bill hes just hoping to finish one thing before he dies the ongoing restoration of a superrare German Panzer v panther. Jacques considers it his greatest find. The story, as we understand it, was it had to retreat, and on its way through poland, it attempted to cross a frozen river. And the tank broke through the ice and fell to the bottom. It sat under this river for about 50 years. Its not in good condition. This particular restoration started off looking worse than this turret right here. It was remanufactured here in its entirety. Just in time for a fastfading Jacques Littlefield. We had a discussion about it, and although the turret had not been put on it, he smiled and he said, im satisfied. Look at it now. How long does this take . The total restoration took seven years. Its one of only two that are really restored to this degree. How much did he pay for it . This is a fairly valuable tank. There are multiple millions of dollars in it. On january 7, 2009, just days after he tells bill boller hes satisfied, Jacques Littlefield passes away at the age of 59. [ bagpipes playing ] there was a procession, and the coffin was carried on the back of a tank. The mechanics hed been working with thought that would be a fitting way to send him off. Jacques wills the entire tank collection to his children. It was really scary to lose him so young. I turned 20 a month before he passed away, and it kind of went from being in college to having to take on a lot of responsibility very quickly. So, what do you do when youve inherited a collection of 240 Armored Vehicles . In keeping with jacques wishes, theres a trust for the tanks, controlled by allison and her half brothers, but no instructions on what to do with them. He never left me with any sort of message regarding the tanks, specifically. So the siblings call jacques friend bill boller back to active duty. Hell lead the littlefield heirs through the quagmire ahead. The objective was to find a longterm solution. In the short term, im wondering what its like to drive one of these things. Why dont you climb up and get in the drivers seat . Right on cue. Bill says its an m551 sheridan, one of jacques favorites. Okay, im up. How do i get in . Any way you can get down in there is fair game. I can always get new knees, i suppose. [ laughs ] if you look on the floor, youll see theres a great, big single brake in the center. Got it brake. And theres a foot throttle on the right. Probably no texting at this time. Probably not a good idea. Okay. Were not gonna turn on anything else other than, now, the starter, which is the next lever over. You push up on that. Start. [ engine turns over ] just like that, she comes to life. Oh, my gosh. Okay. So. Are you belted in . Ive got a great, big handle i can hang on to here, and if i get in trouble, ill just jump. Put your other foot on the accelerator and let the brake off, and were out of here. Go for it. Pull hard as you can. Pull real hard. Give it lots of gas. [ tracks screech ] right there is just fine. I think thats good. [ engine shuts off ] oh. Enjoyed it so much. I cant wait to do it again. [ laughs ] can i come back tomorrow . Well, weve got 80 more that youve got to try. Theyre all different. I should testdrive them before i make a decision. [ laughing ] yeah. After their fathers death, the littlefield heirs retain a Skeleton Crew of mechanics, just to keep all those tanks in good shape. Did you ever say to yourselves, lets just sell it . No. I was hoping that we could maybe keep the collection somewhere locally, but after all those options were explored, there wasnt any way we could keep the collection together here. Then, in 2013, a visitor from the east drops in. Rob collings represents a welltodo family in massachusetts thats devoted to military history. Lets go for a flight. He tours the country with world war ii planes, like this b17 flying fortress. Collings is looking to maybe buy a tank or two, when bill boller takes the conversation to a whole new level. Bill said, you know, i dont want to sell you a tank. I thought to myself, what did i say . He goes, i want you to have the whole collection. In short order, the two men draw up a plan to create a Jacques Littlefield tank exhibit in massachusetts. We would grant all the assets to them, and they would take the responsibility to provide the plans for a building, the land for a building. But just because youre willing to give away a fleet of tanks doesnt mean you can just hand over the keys and be done with it. Is a family that inherits something this vast responsible for also raising the finances to do it . I dont know of any museum, even those that are wellfunded, that would volunteer and come in and take on this type of a responsibility. For this entire scheme to work, the littlefields must accept an arrangement to raise a certain amount of money. Did you know what that number was . Yes. And its a big chunk of change. Can they do it . Sold. Thats next. Heres another quiz question for you. This german personnel carrier from Jacques Littlefields collection was driven by lee marvin in the world war ii classic film the dirty dozen. Whats this model of halftrack called . Is it a. The answer when we return. I dont want to live with the uncertainties of hep c. Or wonder whether i should seek treatment. I am ready. Because today theres harvoni. A revolutionary treatment for the most common type of chronic hepatitis c. Harvoni is proven to cure up to 99 of patients. Whove had no prior treatment. It transformed treatment as the first cure thats. One pill, once a day for 12 weeks. Certain patients. Can be cured with just 8 weeks of harvoni. Harvoni is a simple treatment regimen thats been prescribed to more than a quarter of a million patients. Tell your doctor if youve had a liver transplant, other liver or kidney problems, hiv, or any other medical conditions, and about all the medicines you take including herbal supplements. Taking amiodarone with harvoni may cause a serious slowing of your heart rate. Common side effects of harvoni may include tiredness, headache and weakness. I am ready to put hep c behind me. I am ready to be cured. Are you ready . Ask your hep c specialist if harvoni is right for you. Hey, drop a beat. Flix . Show me orange is the new black wait, no, bloodline how about bojack, luke cage oh, dj tanner maybe show me lilyhammer stranger things, marseille, the fall in the same place as my basketball . Narcos, fearless, cooked the crown, marco polo, lost and found grace and frankie, hemlock grove, season one of. show me house of cards. Finally, you can now find all of netflix in the same place as all your other entertainment. On xfinity x1. Ways wins. Especially in my business. With slow internet from the phone company, you cant keep up. Youre stuck, watching spinning wheels and progress bars until someone else scoops your story. Switch to comcast business. With highspeed internet up to 10 gigabits per second. You wouldnt pick a slow race car. Then why settle for slow internet . Comcast business. Built for speed. Built for business. So, whats this 12ton vehicle used in the world war ii classic the dirty dozen called . Its a, a prime mover. Lee marvin drives it, playing an insubordinate officer on a Top Secret Mission to assassinate a group of nazi generals. Its july of 2014, and the littlefield family is nervous. Theyve agreed to donate their strange inheritance the largest private collection of Armored Vehicles in the world for a new museum to be built by the collings foundation, in massachusetts. The foundation cannot house all 240 tanks in the museum, just the cream of the crop. We had a methodology going into this of what vehicles we wanted to present, and that boiled down to 85 tanks. Theyre Jacques Littlefields greatest treasures. They include the personnel carrier used in the dirty dozen and the German Panzer v panther tank that Jacques Littlefield finished restoring right before he died. Littlefields kids wish collings didnt have to split up their dads collection but know some must be sacrificed to fund a permanent home for the rest. And museums cost a lot of money. So, along with bill boller, they gear up for a barnburner of an auction on their ranch outside san francisco. Its not easy to put a collection together and have the funds to open up a museum. Did you know what that number was going into the auction . Yes around 10 million. 10 million dollars, and failures not an option. If the numbers fall short, some of their fathers most prized vehicles that they dearly want in his namesake exhibit must go. We picked out five very, very rare vehicles and we put a high premium on those. Valued at several hundred thousand dollars each, the five include this sherman tank, the last of its kind. A german 8ton halftrack, just as coveted as the 12ton used in the dirty dozen. An American Amphibious assault vehicle. A German Panzer iv. And this jumbo sherman, one of just eight in the world. What was that day like . I dont even know how to describe it. It was a little bit nerveracking, like, oh, are we gonna raise the amount of money that we need . [ auctioneer calling ] the auction seems to get off to a strong start. This 2s7 selfpropelled gun fetches 92,000. This humber armored car 97,000. Amphibious tank 172,500. Grant tank 276k. Stuart tank 310k. And that scud missile launcher goes for 345,000. Theyre north of a million, heading toward 2, but still a long way from 10. Will they have to sell any of those rare tanks to reach their objective . That was the milliondollar question. The answer next. Whats your strange inheritance story . Wed love to tell it. Send me an email or go to our website, strangeinheritance. Com. Liberty mutual stood with me when i was too busy with the kids to get a repair estimate. Liberty did what . Yeah, with Liberty Mutual all i needed to do to get an estimate was snap a photo of the damage and voila voila sigh i wish my Insurance Company had that. Wait hold it. Hold it boys. Theres supposed to be three of you. Wheres your brother . Wheres your brother . Hey, wheres charlie . Charlie . you can leave worry behind when liberty stands with you. Liberty stands with you™ Liberty Mutual insurance now the conclusion of strange inheritance. For all their lives, the children of Jacques Littlefield watch their dad collect tanks, tinker with them, and deploy them in the coolest birthdayparty entertainment ever. After he dies, they decide to share their strange inheritance with the world. Whats it gonna be like to go into the structure and not see tanks anymore . I dont know if its so much as seeing tanks as its the smell of the diesel and the grease that i really love. 200,000 to start the bidding. 200,000. Having agreed to donate the collection to the collings foundation, allison and her half brothers must watch some of their dads tanks be auctioned off in order to raise 10 million to erect a museum in his honor. [ auctioneer calling ] but as the auction nears the end, it appears receipts are still short of that target. At least one of five superrare tanks the littlefields fervently hoped to see in the museum may have to be sold, but which one . Sold. The bidders get to choose. Only one of the five tanks attracts a bid above the confidential reserve. Its the 8ton german halftrack, a hot ticket from world war ii. And it goes for 1. 2 million. The auction passes the 10 million mark. For the littlefields, its mission accomplished. Is this what your dad would want . Are you convinced . I think this is definitely the best option that we have available to keep the core collection together and have his name attached to it. When we are through with the collings museum, this will arguably be the finest collection of its sort anywhere. And itll be the littlefield collection. Itll be the littlefield collection. Remember how we told you about Jacques Littlefields july 4th tradition, when he would haul out an m60 patton tank and stage a fight between the tank and a civilian car . Its so much fun, we thought you might like to see another of jacques confrontations. [ all cheering ] [ laughs ] all right in your own backyard. What a dad. Im jamie colby for strange inheritance. Thanks so much for watching. And remember, you cant take it with you. Shes raised in daddys junkyard. You would play here . This was the best playground any girl could ever ask for. That he fights city hall to save. John was absolutely the hell, no, i wont go center of the resistance. A oneman wrecking crew in more ways than one. Id wished him dead so many times cause i was so angry with him, but i never wanted that for john, never. I honestly still have a scar on my knee from sinking to the ground so quickly. He leaves her a mess. Can she make it her dream . The wedding was here on the junkyard. Excuse me . [ laughs ] [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] im jamie colby, and today i am driving through a roughandtumble part of dallas, texas, called rock island. You know, some inheritances come crashing down on heirs just when they least expect it, like todays story, where a Violent Crime suddenly leaves a young woman in a big fix. My name is Hannah Hargrove. In 2013, my father was killed in a bar fight. I was only 23 and inherited his struggling junkyard business that i thought might be a diamond in the rough. I meet hannah at the strange inheritance she received three years before. That was a tragedy, but time heals. Hi, hannah today shes a beaming expectant mother. But this place is clearly her baby, too. You inherited a wreck. I like to refer to it as my queendom of junk. Can we take a look . Lets do it. Come on. Hannahs junkyard has a little bit of everything. Doors, cabinets, sinks, wheels, windows, tubs. A home depot where nothings new. Do people really buy doorknobs . People really buy doorknobs. It even has random odds and ends like this old adding machine. We made two dollars today on a doorknob. Theres actually a old cable box beside it. Oh, my gosh. Wait, theres only 36 channels. I know. Ooh. I would not have done well. Where do you find this stuff . First and foremost, we do demolitions. We go down and actually take apart the house piece by piece. We get it cleaned up, put it on the yard. By doing that, we keep things out of the landfill, so theres a big recycling factor. And then the other way is we have people show up with trucks. I mean, 85 of the time its crap. Last week i had someone show up with a truck of futons. [ laughs ] but ill typically give em five bucks and just throw it away because granted, their ten loads might suck, but that eleventh load, it might have the killer of all killers. From there, its up to hannah to turn that junk into gold by selling it to home builders, antiques vendors, contractors, or anyone who walks through her gates. Its kind of my life. A junkyard life that starts for hannah in 1993, when shes just a toddler. Its then that her father, john, makes an offer to buy the orrreed wrecking company. My father was the only one who wanted to keep the business open for the business and not just for the land. John is not the highest bidder, but he impresses the owner, charles orr, says johns exwife, michelle. Why is it that mr. Orr decided john was the right guy . cause he probably could have sold this land for a pretty penny. Absolutely. I think for him it was this little cute young family that wanted to keep his legacy going. While 31year old john has no experience running a salvage yard, he has the most important skill in spades. John could sell ice cubes to eskimos. What kind of salesman was your dad . Watching him was like watching magic. The air around him would become electrified. I sense hannah inherits that ability, too. People would buy things they never thought they would. And theyd leave happy doing it. The junkyard is a family affair. Mom does the books. Dad handles sales, while little hannah models for newspaper ads. You were a little junkyard princess. Thats what i like to refer to myself as, yes. You would play here . I would. This was the best playground any girl could ever ask for. I would go find candlestick holders, and id set up areas in the woodpiles and have tea parties. When youve got giant lumber piles to crawl on, its a lot more fun probably not as safe but its a lot more fun than just going to go swing on a swing set. We were all a little family, and we stayed together every day. Whatever we did, we did together. But there are two sides to John Hargrove. The dad i know and the dad that people knew up here are two very different people. My father was very good at playing the character of John Hargrove. What was that . Vivacious and always happy. That was the character . Yeah, but he had his own demons. His family suffers from his alternating bouts of depression and binge drinking. Would you say your dad was an alcoholic . Yeah. He would be sober for long amounts of time, and then hed go off the wagon. And realize that he screwed up and go back on the wagon. When he was left to his own devices, he got into a lot of trouble. There were more than one occasion where somebody that hed gone to school with would meet me and say, oh, we thought hed either be dead or in jail by now. He brought a lot of pain to this family. Absolutely, and a lot of anger. By 2002, michelle has had enough. She files for divorce, kicking john out of the house and away from teenage hannah and her sister and brother. That was hard. The man was no saint, but he was still my hero. He was still my best friend. Did the divorce affect the business . Yes, because his heart wasnt in it. I mean, it was a Family Business, and without my mom, without me, without any of it, i mean, he just didnt love it as much. In 2007, when hannahs a senior in high school, john promises to dry out, and reconciles with hannahs mom. It was kind of like an ongoing soap opera. By then, hannahs life plan no longer revolves around daddys junkyard. Did you think you were going to follow in your fathers footsteps . My goal was to go to college and get my doctorate. I wanted to be an art therapist. Meanwhile, the city of dallas launches a campaign to rezone rock island, which actually is an island in the middle of the trinity river. The idea is that all of this area will be converted to fancy shops and condos and so on. Jim schutze is a local reporter and friend of johns. There was a concerted effort to paint this area as dirty. And the threat was that the city would use Eminent Domain to force these people to sell. I was like, no, no, no, theyre not doing that. You know, youre gonna have to fight this. Were not buckling. John leads the fight against city hall. John was absolutely the hell, no, i wont go Emotional Center of the resistance. Not that the salesman wont bargain at all. He and his fellow Business Owners promise to beautify the area. I saw their cause as hopeless because so much power and money was in play, and people in their position just dont win. But surprise the little guys do win the city council sides with them. Fresh off his david vs. Goliath victory, john falls completely off the wagon. Michelle leaves him a second time. And at that point, the business kind of fell on the wayside. My father, i think, was overwhelmed. Even for a junkyard, the place becomes a chaotic mess. John neglects the grounds, loses customers, and piles up a mountain of debt. How much are we talking about . I want to say like 800,000 worth of debt. [ gasps ] in the spring of 2012, hannah returns home to save the Family Business. Or is it the family itself . Part of the reason i came home to take over the business was to make sure my dad was okay. Over the next year, things slowly start to improve. John gets back on the wagon. And the two land a major restoration deal with a swanky new hotel. We did all the woodwork. We did their restaurant, their bar. It was a huge job. And theres even more reason to celebrate. Hannah is engaged and sets the date just a few months away. How excited was he about the wedding . Thrilled he went and picked the Wedding Dress with me. But john never walks his daughter down the aisle. When you put yourself in dangerous situations, i mean, youre basically playing russian roulette. [ siren wails ] thats next. But first, our strange inheritance quiz question. In 2012, a scrap metal dealer almost melted down this 33 million object before discovering where it came from. Was it thrown out by Martha Stewarts handyman . Lost by russian tsars . Or stolen from the white house . The answer in a moment. How else do you think he gets around so fast . Take the reins this holiday and get the mercedesbenz youve always wanted during the winter event. Now lease the 2017 gle350 for 579 a month at your local mercedesbenz dealer. [ wind howls ] so, where did this 33 million object almost melted down for scrap come from . The answer is b. The lost imperial easter egg was designed by faberge for tsar alexander iii in 1877. In 2013 in dallas, Hannah Hargrove is helping to revive her fathers junkyard business. John hargrove is an alcoholic whos long suffered from depression. But things are finally starting to look up for him and his salvage yard. He had been sober for about six months. Orrreed was on the way up again. But things never stay good for John Hargrove long. January 26. Hannah came to my house crying. She couldnt find him, he wouldnt answer phone calls. For my father to not pick me up for work that morning, it was very strange. Hannah contacts local hospitals, but there is no trace of john. By evening, the family reluctantly calls the morgue. And has their worst fears confirmed. I honestly still have a scar on my knee from sinking to the ground so quickly. Were you with hannah . And my son. Id wished him dead so many times cause i was so angry with him, but i remember going, i didnt mean it, im sorry, i didnt mean it, you know, [crying] but. You know. I never wanted that for john, never. Or for your children. Or for my babies. [ siren wails ] the police open a murder case. It turns out john got drunk and hit an east dallas nightclub with a history of violence. Give us another another one. Yeah my first impulse was to think, oh, man, walking in there is a death wish. Yall want a beer . You gotta love this place when you put yourself in dangerous situations, i mean, youre basically playing russian roulette. Around 3 00 a. M. , a fight breaks out. Witnesses say john is beaten with a chair and a pool stick and kicked multiple times in the head. My dad liked to say he had ten good seconds fight in him. Well, that night i guess he just didnt have the ten good seconds in him. [ siren wails ] an hour later, John Hargrove is dead at 50 years old. A known criminal, 24yearold frederico prado, turns himself in. After witnesses refuse to testify against him, hes offered a plea deal. In her anger and grief, hannah embraces her strange inheritance as the place to rebuild her life. My uncles came in, and they were ready to start liquidating everything. And i was over there, going, no this is his legacy. This is my legacy. She wanted to make it work, and she wanted to rejuvenate it. But the business is not quick to embrace her. Howd the customers react . Not so great. Shes had to face some comments about you little girl, why arent you out shopping . This is a mans business. One of the first calls hannah takes as boss is a demolition client backing out. She loses three more jobs over the next two weeks. That was the struggle, dealing with customers, dealing with the just running of a business. Not to mention that crushing debt. That became hannahs problem. Yes, it did. She was strapped with a big, big, big financial burden. I mean, there were some days in the beginning when id come down here with hannah and we might stay 30 minutes and just say, we cant. I cant. We got to go. And then theres that other thing on hannahs plate her wedding, just weeks away. She didnt know if she wanted to do the wedding, and i said, dont postpone this wedding, because thats not what he would want. Mm. I mean, everyone that knew john would say, no youre going go for the gusto. Go for it plus she already has the venue picked out. The wedding was here on the junkyard. Excuse me . [ laughs ] thats next. Heres another quiz question for you. Set in a South Central l. A. Junkyard, the tv series sanford and son was nbcs answer to what cbs hit show . The answer after the break. Family road trip fun check engine. Not fun but, youve got hum. Thats like driving with this guy. All you do is press this, and in plain english, coolant, youll know whats wrong. If you do need a mechanic, just press this. Thank you for calling hum. And if you really need help, help can find you, automatically, 24 7. Because you put this, in here. Hum by verizon. The technology designed to make your car smarter, safer and more connected. Put some smarts in your car. Speed always wins. Especially in my business. With slow internet from the phone company, you cant keep up. Youre stuck, watching spinning wheels and progress bars until someone else scoops your story. Switch to comcast business. With highspeed internet up to 10 gigabits per second. You wouldnt pick a slow race car. Then why settle for slow internet . Comcast business. Built for speed. Built for business. Ive spent my life planting a sizesix, nonslip shoe into that door. On this side, i want my customers to relax and enjoy themselves. But these days its phones before forks. They want wifi out here. But behind that door, i need a private connection for my business. Wifi pro from comcast business. Public wifi for your customers. Private wifi for your business. Strong and secure. Good for a door. And a network. Comcast business. Built for security. Built for business. [ wind howls ] so, the tv series sanford and son was created in response to what other hit show . The answer is b. The lead character, fred sanford, played by redd foxx, was created as a black version of all in the familys lovable bigot, archie bunker. In 2013, Hannah Hargrove is struggling to revive the dallas junkyard she just inherited after her father is killed in a bar fight. She was worried in the beginning, after he passed away, that she couldnt do it. And while hannah is trying to keep the business from going under, shes also ready to move on in other facets of her life. Her wedding is set to take place just six weeks after her dads funeral. In the junkyard at the end of the day, i wanted it to be at the place that i, my heart was. And my heart was here. Describe the dress. So, silk chiffon, strapless, sweetheart neckline with a blue bow. How did you feel in it . Like a princess. I felt beautiful. With the help of a lot of people, we made this junkyard look like a magical place. With draped chiffon. And i made a 70foot train. It was beautiful. And then. [ thunder crashes ] it poured the day of the wedding, but it stopped raining about 15 minutes before the ceremony, and i just say my father was up there blocking the rain. With the memory of her father hovering above, hannahs three uncles walk her down the aisle. And shes thinking, yeah, everythings gonna be all right. Im a part of it, and its a part of me. Its my life, you know. Its not something i could ever see it being another way. This is what i love. And when you love something, its what do you love about this . Its junk its my junk. I mean, its my kingdom. With the support of her mother, hannah dedicates herself to turning the junkyard into a money maker. The first step attracting a new client base. So my goal was to really market it to the Younger Generation because i knew that the way to survive in this world was to bring in a younger crowd. How . By turning orrreed into an upscale junkyard. Reporter jim schutze wonders if such a contradiction in terms will catch on. I had some concern. I didnt get where she would have the business acumen to run Something Like this. Retooling the wrecking business. Thats the goal. Its to change peoples perception of what a junkyard is. Find out how hannah does it, next. Whats your strange inheritance story . Wed love to tell it send me an email, or go to our wed love to tell it send me an email, or go to our website, strangeinheritance. Com. Whythen get worse . Nks taste chalky . Introducing protein shots from 5hour energy. Protein shots from 5hour energy are smooth and tasty, and still deliver 21 grams of protein with 100 calories. Theyre great for workouts, no matter how you work out. Whether youre going for reps. Or laps. Or distance. You gotta try it. Period. Protein shots from 5hour energy. Great taste. 100 calories. 21 grams of protein. [ wind howls ] now back to strange inheritance. By 2015, Hannah Hargrove has completed the transformation of this junkyard on rock island in dallas. All the junk is arranged neatly in departments, along scrubbed and swept concrete walkways. And that old storefront, once stuffed with just rusty tools and hardware, is transformed into a boutique with artisan crafts and collectibles. Its definitely more organized. Its girlified. I mean, i definitely put that Feminine Touch on it. So, when you drive up, you think junkyard, and then, i have to say, the minute you walk through those doors, its a magical experience. It is because i feel like youre entering a whole new world when you come in here. Another inspiration hannah invites artists to work on site, using materials gleaned from the yard. [ saw whirring ] johann is the yard manager here who also makes custom furniture. Today. A barnstyle gate for a pet. Where did this stuff come from . Most of this is all reclaimed, actually out of the same house that we just took down not long ago. Its just 3 1 4 antique pine. Its probably over 100 years old. And these hinges also reused . Yeah, old hinges off a cabinet probably from inside the house. Can i. Yeah. Johann tells me the wrecking company saves up to 90 of the materials from the houses it demolishes. And so, where would this wood go if not to be used again . More than likely, into a landfill. And youre preventing that. Were doing the best we can. [ chuckles ] so, folks, in the end, its gonna look like a barn door. Yeah. For a dog. For a dog. Ive really tried to market to a younger clientele. Does it work . [ chimes ] thanks in part to the reclaimedmaterials trend, the girlified wrecking company does becomes the goto place for artists, designers, and diyers to find that perfect antique wood, clawfoot tub, or porcelain sink for their project. This business has been rejuvenated. She gets the new market for this stuff. The fact that shes younger has given her a sensibility that i think has really helped her give this place a new life. Meanwhile, hannah and her mom chip away at that 800,000 debt that came with her fathers estate. We did sell the house and, you know, sold off some of the things that needed to be done, and its definitely decreased it. By 2015, its cut nearly in half, and thats far more manageable. To you and me, it may just be junk. But to hannah, this place is a still a playground, plus a second home, and perhaps in the future, a strange inheritance for the next generation of hargroves. Its all about family. I mean, its my sister and my mom and soontobe little one. Well, i have to say, you have made a beautiful place out of junk. Why, thank you. What would dad say . I think hed be pretty pleased. My goal is that 30, 40 years from now, this place will go on without me, too. This is an institution. And i get to be a part of this institutions history. Its more than me. Its more than my dad. Its a part of dallas. Before we leave rock island, remember how Business Owners here promised to beautify the area . Well, each owner chipped in, adding sculptures and murals to their exteriors. Hannah has taken the junk of her past and her fathers junkyard and redeemed both. Im jamie colby. Thanks so much for watching strange inheritance, and remember, you cant take it with you. Two proud texans with a passion for old west guns, guts, and glory. I do see bullet holes. Two strange inheritances one a lone star mystery. Im roy roberson. I dont think he wanted anyone to have the combination, because that was his control over the pandoras box. Sized challenge. This may be financially one of the dumbest things that i have ever done. Together, can they make history . Fire [ explosion ] [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ]