Im jamie colby driving through dallas, texas. What do you get when you couple a onetrack mind to a boxcar full of bucks . A strange inheritance that im told is just the ticket. My name is jane sanders. My husband, steve, was always into his model trains. But when he got sick, they became much more than a hobby. They took him on the trip of a lifetime. I meet jane at her home here in dallas. She leads me upstairs, and i am transported to a railroad wonderland. [ train whistle blows ] oh, my goodness. Unbelievable. Its massive, 2,000 square feet, taking up an entire wing of janes house. Oh, my gosh. Thats so fantastic the locomotives drive past hundreds of handcrafted figurines and intricate details. Theres two men sharing lunch on the stairs, a blonde bombshell hitchhiker, a 1950s gas station. Theyre cleaning the windshield like the good, old days. Yes. And a scene from main street, usa. Theres the diner with people actually sitting in there eating. Absolutely spectacular, to every detail, jane. Whats more, theres a tale behind each detail joined together like verses of a poem written by janes late husband, steve. Its all his story. A story that begins in 1944, when Steve Sanders is born right here in the heart of texas. His mother would take him to Union Station in downtown dallas, then put him on a train to go to camp in colorado. He just always loved it, so ever since then, his love of trains built up. A love that continues to build even through steves College Years at the Kemper Military School in missouri. Steve goes on to become a green beret who sees action in vietnam, is wounded, and awarded a purple heart. He loved his military service. That was the best thing he ever did in his life. Back in dallas, hes set up with jane on a blind date. Had you ever met someone like steve before . No, and i never have since. He was a very, very loving person, generous, and enjoyed life. Steve and jane are soon married, and he opens his first business, a hobby shop. Thats when he started collecting the trains. I didnt think about it. He would just buy the trains and set them back, and set them back. Steve goes after the largestsize models he can find, the gscale trains made in germany. G stands for gross, german for big. He wanted the biggest and the best. In 1981, another of steves dreams comes true when he and jane adopt twin girls, christina and stephanie. Did it change him to be a father . Yeah. In a lot of ways, it did. He was so protective of those girls. Oh, my gosh. He just was so scared about anything happening to them. How would you describe him and his love of trains . He would find ways for us to go on train trips. He made us ride the train all the way from dallas to minnesota once. It was horrible, but he had a great time. Steve wants to give a better life to his young daughters, so he looks to make more money by going to work in the family oildrilling business and becoming a preciousmetals dealer. He used to work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, and everybody would say, well, why are you working so hard . He goes, well, i have to take care of my girls. And steve keeps buying up model trains. His lucrative Business Ventures allow him to add hundreds of engines, cars and pieces of track to his stockpile. Probably some you didnt know about. Yeah. Well, i never really paid a whole lot of attention to them. I would just keep seeing these red boxes building up. Steve does have a plan. One day, hes going to build the Model Railway of his dreams. He had a train room, and he had started a small train set. It was never finished. We werent allowed to touch it, not allowed to play on it, and wed be climbing on it, and hed, get off that thats where my trains are going to go maybe hell finish it when he retires, when hell have all the time in the world. But steve learns the 60s can be a cruel decade. He suffers a string of Health Setbacks triplebypass surgery, prostate cancer, and multiple back operations. So much for a life of leisure. He really suffered. He was so tired, in pain, everything. Steve knows the proverbial train is leaving the station. Its time, once and for all, to finish that railroad display. Hed always had a big vision for it, but knew he needed help bringing it to life, firstclass help. So he tracked down an artist who designs museum exhibits and film sets. Steve approached me and wanted someone to design the ultimate train layout. Robert reid is dazzled by steves ambitious plan. Hes on board. But did they start too late to fulfill steves dream . That was the tragedy. Heres a strange inheritance quiz question. Theyre all modelrailroad enthusiasts, but which music legend was a spokesman for Lionel Trains . The answer after the break. Livin in this crazy world so caught up in the confusion nothin is makin sense for me and you weve got to give a little love have a little hope make this world a little better so, which music legend was a spokesman for Lionel Trains in the 70s . Neil young was a part owner of lionel, but its johnny cash, the man in black, who served as its spokesman in the 1970s. For decades, these model trains are stockpiled in Steve Sanders texas home to be used one day in the mother of all model railroads. In his 60s, with his health in decline, steve works with a movieset and museumdisplay designer to finally bring his lifelong dream to fruition. He wanted it to be a tour of the southwest from colorado through new mexico to arizona to west texas and on through dallas. Hes telling his life story in trains. He is. It is. He was definitely involved. Each little vignette had to tell an important story. But putting together a display for steves gscale trains is a huge challenge. Its much larger than most train layouts. Figures in this scale are very difficult to come by. Hundreds of figures like these, many personally handcrafted and all custom painted. These werent things that you just buy off the shelf. We had people making trees, all the rock work, the scenic work. We actually created the buildings, most of them from scratch. Steve, running out of time but not money, spares no expense. Fortytwo thousand dollars to create a pintsized drivein theater, complete with a feature film playing on the screen. Its a miniature projector. Its not a tv screen. And then the sound comes from original drivein movie speakers. Steve pays a sculptor 80,000 more to create a Rocky Mountain scene that includes 32inch trees and a working tram. And another 40,000 for murals to give it the feel of big sky country. Theres shooting stars that go across the sky. Theres thunder and lightning effects. We were able to develop something that was museum worthy. Dad always did everything all the way, especially this. Do you have any idea what steve spent to put this together . Ive always heard the figure of 1 million. Does it matter . Not to me. I thought he works hard, hes a good husband, if he wants it, let him have it. Before i knew it, this is what we end up with. What were your thoughts about it . Whenever he would add something to it or finish it, even though id seen it a hundred times, he goes, you want to see your inheritance again . In december 2012, after four years of construction, the 2,000squarefoot display is finally completed. It seems that its not just a train set. Its pretty much the story of his life. The journey starts here, 1950s dallas Union Station, where steves love affair with trains first blossomed. From there, the layout heads to steves boyhood summer camp in colorado. Then continues past his hobby shop and through the oil fields of west texas, which helped make him rich. Then theres the ranch where jane and steve raised their girls. Is it an exact replica . Pretty close. It has the blue roof, which is one of favorite things that we had about it. And that drivein . Playing an army movie. Tell me the truth. Did yall make out at that Movie Theater . No, not that one. [ both laugh ] and, of course, he creates a tribute to his wife, the mary jane train station. And its more than just a massive piece of art. Steve designed seven track loops that can handle up to 12 engines running simultaneously. He had ideas in his head and hed be sure whatever he wanted done, got done and done the right way. With his vision realized, steve began sharing his magnificent train display with anyone who will come see it. And he loved that . Oh, heavens yes. He stood up there and ran those trains all night long. But steves joy is shortlived. In february 2013, just months after the display is finished, steve is diagnosed with his most dire ailment, stagefour lung cancer. Hed walk me in here and show me how to work everything. Because he knew he wouldnt be able to be the conductor here forever. Yeah. He wanted to make sure we knew how to take care of everything, including his trains. His illness spreads quickly. He was diagnosed february the 12th and died may the 28th. That was all the time we had left. That was the tragedy. We finished this masterpiece and he had such little time to enjoy it. Steve sanders is just 68 years old. What do you miss the most . [ voice breaking ] i miss the most sitting at the dinner table with him and us exchanging stories. Thats my hardest time every day. He leaves his enormous model train display, along with hundreds of trains in storage, in the care of his daughters and widow. Did steve tell you what to do . No. He got sick and died so quickly that we didnt have time to discuss it. So, for the time being, jane just keeps the display in her home, acting as its loyal custodian. Its a fulltime job to take care of them, to keep them clean and running in good shape. Then in 2017, jane decides to downsize her life, putting her 10,000squarefoot house on the market. I knew id have to do something at some point. I felt like i didnt want to leave it to my daughters to have to deal with it. Its time to tear up the tracks. But then what . Heres another quiz question for you. The answer when we return. But im not standing still. And with godaddy, ive made my ideas real. I made my own way, now its time to make yours. Everything is working, working, just like it should wade im a veteran, my victory was admitting i had ptsd and getting help. Announcer as americas veterans face challenges, dav is there. Wade i no longer see it as a weakness, but a sign of strength. I call it, posttraumatic growth. Announcer dav provides a lifetime of support, helping veterans of every generation get the benefits theyve earned. Armando i am a veteran, i lost both legs in vietnam. Announcer every year, dav helps more than a million veterans so they can reach victories great and small. Armando my victory was getting my benefits and a good education. Jason im a veteran, when i got out i felt like nowhere was safe. My victory was finding the help i needed. Announcer but there is more to be done, and more victories to be won. Jason thanks to dav, now i feel like im human again. Announcer help support more victories for veterans, go to dav. Org the term described the constant dancing motion of track workers as they lunged against their tools in unison to nudge the rails. His 2,000squarefoot modeltrain display tells Steve Sanders life story. He built it in his house in dallas and, before he died, he taught his daughters, christina and stephanie, how to operate it. And now theyre going to teach me. I happen to love trains. Are you going to let me try something . Of course. Show me how it works. Okay. Pull this lever slowly and were going to go one after the other. All systems go. Seems easy, until steves daughters warn me that his complicated layout demands that the trains run at precise speeds. Get it wrong, and ill crash a couple of very expensive locomotives into each other. Yikes so im driving three trains at once. Fortunately today, nothing goes off the rails. I love it. I could be here all day. What steve didnt do was instruct his widow, jane, what he wanted her to do with the trains after he died. Do you wish he had made these kind of arrangements before . Well, i wish had, but there just really wasnt the time to even get into it. Jane estimates steve spent about 1 million on the trains and layout. So perhaps selling off the cars and display, piece by piece, could be just the ticket. Enter appraiser Laurence Martin to provide his expert financial analysis. I went through every train, every locomotive, every car. It was over 126 man hours. I mean, shock and awe would be a good way to phrase that. And youd be shocked how much some of steves model trains are worth. He has one locomotive, was by row and company, that is one of only 30 in the world. Its value 5,300. This Pennsylvania Railroad model is one of only 250 and worth nearly 4,000. While this limitededition steam engine comes in at 1,900. The train total 137,000. Steves custom display itself is a different story. With no real secondary market, those pieces wont fetch anything near what he paid for them. I dont know too many people that spend that kind of money to have a model train set running around in their house. Laurence estimates the layout and all its components are worth about 200,000, so it doesnt make much sense to sell off the inheritance piecemeal. And thats actually a relief for stephanie and christina. His only dream was to make sure that everyone that wanted to could enjoy them. But then, what to do . How many options did you have . Not very many. Its so big that not just anybody could take it. The family begins seeking out someone who could take the entire display. Originally, id love to have given then to the childrens hospital, but they didnt have the room. It just wasnt feasible. So they reach out to a bigger facility. We checked with at t stadium, too, but it was a little large for the stadium so. Even for a stadium . Even for the stadium. But the family doesnt give up yet. They leave their info at a museum in nearby frisco, texas. I got a message on my desk that someone had an interest in donating a train layout to us. Bob laprelle is the ceo of the museum of the American Railroad, which has honored Railroad History since 1962. You must get calls all the time of people who think their train sets are good enough for a museum. Yes, we do. In fact, weve turned down quite a few over the years. Did you come immediately out to see it . We came out within a week or so. It just blew us away. The creativity that went into this layout far exceeds just about anything else weve ever seen. The family offers to donate the display, plus steves vast collection of model trains, to the museum. But theres still one, giant bridge to cross. What if you start taking it apart, and its destroyed . Whats your strange inheritance story . Wed love to tell it. Send me an email or go to our website, strangeinheritance. Com. So, from the two trucks over here. I want you to pick a new truck for your mom or dad, knowing that they could possibly pass it down to you one day. Cool. But before you decide, you should know that chevy silverados are the most dependable, longest lasting fullsize pickups on the road. Which means that ford f150s are not. laughs which truck would you pick . The chevy. The chevy. The chevy. There you go. Boom. That was obvious. Plus it looks cooler. No doubt about it. Now they know what to get me. laughs now back to strange inheritance. Jane sanders and her daughters want to donate the gigantic model train display their husband and father left behind to the museum of the American Railroad in frisco, texas. Its got to be a little bittersweet. It is. Its almost like its the end of an era. And how do you feel about that . Happy that everyone is going to enjoy his dream but sad that its not ours to keep to ourselves anymore. Was it a piece of your husband leaving . It is, but at the same time i know so many more people are going to get to see it, and thats what he wanted. Now train museum ceo bob laprelle needs to clear the biggest hurdle moving the layout without destroying it. This cant be very easy. Well, its a massive project, and its a specialized job. Your first cut could be the end of this railroad. It could fall apart. Well. In june 2017, the breakdown begins. Step one label every single one of the thousands of individual pieces. Well try to document as much as we can of the existing configuration of the layout before we attempt to dismantle it. With the inventory complete, each piece is delicately removed. Then youve got to consider everything that you dont see the wiring, the hidden loop tracks, the behindthescenes parts of it. Finally, the various sections of the layout, called decks, are ever so carefully split apart. Youve got to make strategic cuts and be very careful with it. The last step forklift the decks out of their secondstory home. One wrong move and the display will come crashing down. We just dont want to drop anything. That would be a tragedy. But there will be no tragedies today. The sections are safely loaded onto a truck and the entire lot gets shipped to nearby frisco, texas, for reassembly. And the museum will not only reinstall the display, but add to it, so they can show off even more of steves trains. We can share it with, you know, literally tens of thousands of people a year. And even though hes no longer with us, he really lives on. Do you think he would approve of what youre doing . Oh, i think he would be so excited. He always had this way of giggling when he was very, very happy and i think that he would just be Walking Around giggling right now. That legacy is still going and will continue for, hopefully, very, very many years, that my children can take their children to go see it and say this was pops place. When it comes to modeltrain enthusiasts, steves in very good company. Take frank sinatra. Old blue eyes dedicated an entire wing of his california ranch to model trains. Then theres buster keaton. He was so enamored with the hobby that he had trains running through his backyard carrying cocktails to poolside quests. And when rod stewarts train display was featured on the cover of model railroader, he said it meant more to him than being on the cover of rolling stone. Im jamie colby. Thanks so much for watching strange inheritance. And remember you cant take it with you. [ train whistle blows ] talk about getting the keys to the city. They walk around like they own the place. Sounds like youre the unofficial mayor of this town. Well, thats one of my hats. Guess what . They do. Your dad bought the whole neighborhood . Yes. The whole town. It is a real community. Very closeknit. I was told i was born here, but i was too young to remember. They never thought theyd live to see this day. Makes me sad. I dont want to have to move. When is the last time you got a listing for a whole town . Never. Will the heirs take the cash and let the bulldozers in . If you did sell, where would those people go . [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] im jamie colby in western pennsylvania, turning into the village of reduction. Im here because a viewer wrote me to say this whole place is his strange inheritance. My name is David Stawovy. When my parents passed away, my siblings and i inherited a town. Hi, david. Im jamie colby. Hello, jamie. Welcome to the town of reduction. You wrote me you inherited a town . This is it . This is part of it. David and his three siblings inheritance encompasses 75 acres of hills, farmland, and forest nestled along the youghiogheny river. The town, population 60, stretches out along reduction road, which leads into reduction circle, and an area called the village, a collection of 19 houses. And the house right in front of me is the house that my father decided to purchase, and thats where i lived when i was one year old. He wanted only one, but the people that was selling it asked him if he wanted to buy them all. So he ended up buying them all. Your dad bought the whole neighborhood . Yes, the whole town in 1948. But davids ahead of our story. It starts some 40 years before his dad became king of this hill. At the turn of the century, the town is owned by the American Reduction Company, which runs a bustling plant that recycles and reduces garbage shipped in from nearby pittsburgh. And the factory was directly behind you, down over the hill. They only had to walk down a set of steps, and they were at work. Reduction was what was known as a company town, one of more than 2,000 communities wholly owned by one corporation or another that pop up across america in the late 1800s. You load sixteen tons what do you get . Another day older and deeper in debt a numberone hit, sixteen tons by Tennessee Ernie Ford makes Company Towns sound like woeful places to live. I owe my soul to the Company Store but that song topped the charts in 1955, long after almost all the Company Towns closed, and their story is more nuance than old tennessee ernie is letting on. History professor ed meena. Who did it benefit more the company or the employees . The company had a steady force of workers at their disposal, but it gave the workers an opportunity to find their own life and their own future. Company towns make it possible for workers to take the jobs in the new postcivil War Industries located near Natural Resources like coal, lumber, iron, and oil. It was you came on the railroad, dropped off, went to work. Were the people that lived in these Company Towns proud to work for the company, or is it a little indentured servitude . A little bit of both. The company was run for profit, and the workers, in many instances, were very expendable, but some of the Company Towns were a little bit better, and workers were given the opportunity to have some leisure time. There were activities, religious instruction, athletics. Reduction, p. A. , comes to life in 1910 with the opening of the american reduction plant. Its known as the town that garbage built. All the garbage from pittsburgh, and they brought it out, and they ran it through a processing plant, and they separated the copper, aluminum, or whatever metals. They made soap. They made fertilizer. And how many workers did reduction need that it made sense for them to build a company town . Well, i think at their heyday, they had 400 People Living in reduction. They had three shifts. It worked 24 7. In 1920, davids grandparents, polish immigrants valentine and johanna stawovy, settle near reduction and start a dairy farm to supply milk, eggs, cheese, and produce to reduction. They become its Company Store. Is that the farm . Yes, this is a shot of my grandfather and my grandmother and all the siblings. How big was this farm . He bought like 100 acres, and then he bought another 100 acres. He bought up a lot of different farms. Thats a substantial dairy farm. Well, he had four sons, and his daughter worked there, and so he had his own workforce. One member of that workforce, davids father, john stawovy. Born in 1922, he grows up milking cows, working the fields, and attending school with the rest of the reduction kids at this oneroom schoolhouse. By then, American Workers are starting to enjoy the economic advances that will bring the era of Company Towns to a close rising worker incomes, massproduced cars, widely available home financing. They get a taste of a better life. Oh, absolutely. Workers have a higher standard of living because of their union contracts. They actually get paid time off. They get a little bit of a pension. In 1936, a larger garbage plant opens in pittsburgh. American reduction closes the plant here, and reduction becomes a ghost town. When reduction closed, what happened to the People Living in those houses . People were devastated. That was their livelihood. The stawovy family dairy, nevertheless, thrives. In 1948, davids father is newly married and looking for a starter home. He approaches the American Reduction Company to purchase one of the houses in the old neighborhood. He said, whats the price . , and he gave him the price, and then he said to my father, instead of buying one, why dont you buy them all . How much . 10,000. Did he have the money . No. He borrowed it. He saw it as an investment . Oh, yes. Davids parents rent out the 18 vacant homes and move into this 600squarefoot house just like the others. Here they start a family. David is born in 1949, followed by sisters jacque, cheryl, and brother jan. It was very closeknit, and, as i recall, it was very happy. Jacque recalls a childhood spent playing with the other kids in the village. We loved to iceskate on the pond that was right next to the dairy. Before we went iceskating, we would go into the dairy and get hot chocolate. Time stands still in good ways and, well, not so good ways. All the houses had outhouses. They didnt have indoor plumbing. Once a year, they had to be cleaned, and my father would have me going out with him and hold the flashlight when he would do his duty. We would do whatever he asked us to do. Whether it be painting, scrubbing, we all had a hand in it. The kids grow up, move away, and begin their own careers. For the next six decades, with support from their mother, dad runs the old company town from top to bottom. My dad did it for years all by himself, and he was incredible. But when the landlord, town engineer, and public works chief needs to retire from office, his son david is about to find out that being lord of the manor isnt all its cracked up to be. You get a call 2, 3, 4 oclock in the morning. Its my responsibility. Heres a strange inheritance quiz question. The answer after the break. So, a strike begun at what company town led to the creation of labor day . Its b. In 1894, after their wages were cut in half, workers at the pullman railcar company in illinois walked out, leading to a nationwide strike. In response, president Grover Cleveland approved the federal holiday of labor day. Hard to believe this beautiful western pennsylvania hamlet is known as the town that garbage built, but its true. The village of reduction dates back to 1910, a company town of the american reduction plant, trash processor for nearby pittsburgh. The plant closes in the 30s, but local dairy farmer john stawovy buys the whole spread in 1948 and runs the town, home to about 60 people. I was told i was born here, but i was too young to remember. Walter willie klorczyk grew up in reduction in the 1950s. What was it like living here . Well, it was country. Youre exposed to all kinds of animals and bugs and stuff, and you get used to living in the country. Were the neighbors close . Very close. I mean, close enough where you couldnt do anything wrong without coming home and finding out that everybody knew about it. For willie, reduction will always hold a little piece of childhood magic. There was never a streetlight here, and i remember one time we laid down and looked up at the sky, and realized theres more than just a few stars up there. For the next 60 years into the early 2000s, john stawovy and his wife, amelia, not only run the town, but maintain its characteristic charm. When the people would come to pay the rent, it was like a friend arrived. Sometimes my mother would invite them in to have tea or coffee or feed them. They were all very kind to my parents. But when their father enters his 80s and begins to suffer from dementia, david, now a retired schoolteacher, finds himself more involved with all the daytoday duties. Was there some point when your dad got ill and you realized youd have to take over all of the responsibility . I was there with my father, helped him throughout all the years, and now, for the last five years, i had to really take care of him. In 2014, davids father dies of heart failure. Two years later, his mom passes away. Davids named executor of the estate. My father chose me. Its an honor that my dad thought that much of me for me to be responsible enough to take care of his family. Whats in his will i will do. Whether i agree with it or not, i will do what my father asked, and thats i feel its an honor. For david, its also an honor to keep the town running just as his parents did for more than 60 years. Sounds like youre the unofficial mayor of this town. Well, thats one of my hats one of them. What other things do you have to do . Sewage officer, plumber, electrician you know, i do it all, whatever needs done. Do you have the expertise to do all that . I do probably 98 of the work myself, and my family helps, also. One of the worst things we had recently, one of the main waterlines broke in the middle of the road. Davids not the only Family Member on the clock. Since i retired, its kind of my job now. My husband and i do the bookwork, and we make all the deposits. I do all of the leases. For their work, the siblings earn hourly wages. Then at the end of the year, each typically receives an additional 15,000, profit from the rental income. Dont you think you should be making more money for all this . 15,000 is not a lot of money, but its something. Im happy with that. David and his siblings are happy about something else, too the community that theyve helped to perpetuate. Tightknit . Oh, yeah. What kind of things do they do for each other . Well, like sometimes when they have to leave, theyll watch their children or theyll say, pick up my child when they get off the bus till i get off work. Kate and larry blasko have lived in reduction for two years. You came and looked at it. Came and looked at it, and we said, we want to rent it. And why not . These homes are perfect for a couple of emptynesters. Look at this kitchen, okay . I could totally make magic here. You got the sink, you got a beautiful stove, you have this huge refrigerator it all fits and if you want to have breakfast in the house . Right here. You got a whole seating arrangement, storage. Isnt it darling . Its such a cute house. You guys like living here . We love it. Love it. Whats the best part . Just being alone and the wildlife and quiet. Quiet. What are you missing . Nothing. Traffic. Yeah. Missing traffic. Its a pretty friendly and quiet little town, but maybe not for much longer. When is the last time you got a listing for a whole town . Never. Whats david asking . Heres another quiz question for you. The answer when we return. Show me the olympic winter games like ive never seen before. Xfinity x1, yeah, i always know the scor. Triple corks in 4k. Lookin so sick. Stream live on every screen, every win, every trick. 2000 hours of coverage, get your mind blown. 50 olympic channels, yup, youre in the zone. And if theres something that you want to see, pick up that voice remote and just say show me. Experience nbcuniversals coverage of the olympic winter games like never before with xfinity. Proud partner of team usa. Retail. Under pressure like never before. And its connected technology thats moving companies forward fast. Ecommerce. Real time inventory. Virtual changing rooms. Thats why retailers rely on comcast business to deliver consistent Network Speed across multiple locations. Every corporate office, warehouse and store near or far covered. Leaving every competitor, threat and challenge outmaneuvered. Comcast business outmaneuver. So, what old company town has been transformed into a fivestar resort . Its kohler, wisconsin. Founded in 1900 on the grounds of the kohler plumbing fixture plant, the town now boasts a hotel, water spa, and championship golf course. After inheriting the old company town of reduction, pennsylvania, from their parents in 2016, retired schoolteacher David Stawovy and his siblings have been busy keeping the town up and running. But heavy are the heads that share the town. So as they reach retirement age, they decide to put the entire village up for sale. What was it that finally made you say, out . My wife and i want to travel. My sisters want to travel. Youre tied down. Youre never at peace. When is the last time you got a listing for a whole town . Never. [ both laugh ] Debbie Dattalo is the listing agent. Whats david asking . 1. 5. 1. 5. . Million. Is that a good price . I believe its a fair price, and everythings negotiable. How would you describe this property . Its unbelievable land, and the history of it, i think, is even more amazing. What do Properties Around here sell for . The market is growing, so my expectations are only going up because of the growth that will be happening in the next couple of years here. If the heirs get their asking price, split four ways, theyd each receive 375k. Wheres the value where were standing right now, in these houses, in the river, the neighborhood . I believe its the land. This is very difficult to find this amount of land in a parcel like this. Other than what it is right now, what could this property become . I think it could be a housing development. I still have in my mind that it could be a recreational space. News travels fast in a small town, so its no secret to the residents that their time in reduction, p. A. , could be dwindling away. Makes me sad. I dont want to have to move. Its a decision the residents may be forced to make sooner than theyd like. I did have an offer already. Whats your strange inheritance story . Wed love to tell it. Send me an email or go to our website, strangeinheritance. Com. But im not standing still. And with godaddy, ive made my ideas real. I made my own way, now its time to make yours. Everything is working, just like it should i let my mistakes kind aof take over my life. I was pointfive credits away from completing high school and i didnt do it. Angela i got pregnant and i was the main one working so, i did what i had to do to survive. Jocelyn sentia que la escuela no era para mi. Karim most of my family they never graduated high school or even let alone go to college so im trying to break that barrier. Jackie my family never stopped pushing for me to be better because they knew what i could become and who i could become as a person. Karim everyday after work i went straight to school, studied hard, and it paid off. Jocelyn sentia como que si Quiero Cambiar el mundo tengo que cambiara mi primero. Group surprise surprise surprise angela i could not have gotten my diploma without my family. Jocelyn mi consejera, ella fue lo maximo para mi porque me ayudo mucho con todo. Jackie ive been given an opportunity and im just thankful for it. Angela yeah its hard, but keep on going and keep on trying. Karim the High School Diploma has just added to the confidence and now i feel unstoppable. Narrator find free Adult Education classes near you at finishyourdiploma. Org now back to strange inheritance. David stawovy and his three siblings have just put up for sale the tiny former company town, reduction, p. A. , that their family has owned and run for 70 years. While theyre excited about the prospect of selling, theyre uncomfortable with the thought of uprooting the towns 60 residents. Why do you care so much . I just like people, thats all. I try to give them a good you know, its a reasonable place to live. I try to give that to them. If you did sell, where would those people go . Well, i promised them if i sold that i would give them one year to find a place to live. Not everybodys going to agree. They may want to take possession and tear them down immediately. I know, but i told them. I made a promise. Im a man of my word. I dont want to have to move. You know that he is looking for a buyer, but only a buyer that would be willing to let people stay here for a period of time . Yes. That seems pretty unusual in america. Well, it is. Everybodys after that buck. Youre right. I give him a lot of respect for that. Were hoping that someone will come along and run it just the way we did and maybe even make it better. Just a month after putting the town on the market in october 2016, david gets a call from a prospective buyer. What would they do with the property . Theres a big mound thats a high point where you could see for miles. He wanted to build a mansion up on top of it. Ooh. The offer comes in at 800,000, well below the 1. 5 million asking price. But the real dealbreaker for the family is that reduction would be reduced to nothing. Whats it like to have a client whos a little bit hesitant to sell . I think my business is about emotions, and sometimes people are emotionally tied to their real estate, and i understand that. This property is still important to them, and i think that will be important when we find the right buyer to know the love that went into the houses and also the people that lived here. Walking around reduction, i realize that while houses, roads, street signs, and water mains can put a town on the map, its people that make it a community, like larry, kate, and willie, and all the others whove lived in these brick houses and populated the old company town with plain old good company. Its no wonder that even with big money on the table, david and his siblings say theyre determined not to let the people of reduction down. Where are you going to find somebody that will buy this property and treat these people with the respect that you have . I hope theres somebody out there. Whats the upside for them . To want to take care of people and for the love of man. Remember how the stawovy family dairy provided the residents and workers of reduction with food and supplies . Well, it turns out there was one popular farm product old grandpa valentine sold on the side moonshine. David tells me his gramps ran a secret still right on the farm even did a little time behind bars when he was caught. Of course, after a long day in the garbage factory, i can understand the workers in the old company town wanting a little cocktail. Im jamie colby. Thanks for watching strange inheritance. And remember you cant take it with you. Its a regular thing in the stock market and it tends to go up when the market has gone up a lot in response to our policies. I dont care its anything unusual or anything to be concerned about. Cheryl the white house trying to calm investors rattled by the wile swings . The stock market. Lauren cutting 350 point gain in half it did by 164. Cheryl for the week we are looking at losses really about 1 in dow and s p. Lauren we could get gains today. Futures are up 126 points. Cheryl take a look at europe, stocks