- Coming up on "Legacy List with Matt Paxton," Matt and the team roll up their sleeves (people chattering) - Oh my gosh.

- And help a couple of downsize their sprawling estate.

- Oh my gosh.

- (laughs) Oh no!

- Along the way, they'll come across items both unique... - I've been in houses that are a hornet's nest, but I've never actually seen one.

- And deeply personal.

- The hubcaps.

- Yup, '57 Chevy Bel Air - '57.

- Beloved car.

(upbeat music) - I'm Matt Paxton.

Let's do it, man.

My team of specialists, Jaime, Mike and Avi, help me help people downsize their homes and settle estates.

As the largest population of baby boomers in American history transition towards retirement, they and their families face the overwhelming task of emptying their homes to move.

We help them sift through a lifetime of possessions.

- Bingo!

- Heirlooms and collectibles.

We have literally found a piece of history.

To help them find the missing family treasures that mean the most to them.

- Oh my goodness!

- Jackie Robinson.

And along the way, they'll discover that the most important museum in the world may be in their family's basement.

- Oh!

- Oh!

- I've never seen that; that is cool-looking.

- From attics to cellars, closets to cupboards, we uncover the memories they want to preserve.

This is living history.

This is what we're here to find.

Let's go.

And discover the compelling, personal, and often historical stories spanning generations that are their family's legacy.

(upbeat music) - [Narrator] Funding for Legacy List is provided by Wheaton World Wide Moving.

Wheaton's number one goal is to help you, your loved ones, and your belongings get to your new home quickly and safely.

You can find us at wheatonworldwide.com.

Wheaton World Wide Moving, we move your life.

FirstLight Home Care.

Committed to providing safe and compassionate home services for you and your family.

FirstLight believes personal relationships and engagement are as important as mobility, bathing, and personal hygiene.

Details at FirstLightHomeCare.com.

The Mavins Group, a downsizing real estate sales and move management company.

Committed to easing the emotional and physical demands of beginning a new stage of life.

The Mavins Group, so much more than a move.

Insure Long Term Care, where we believe that aging at home, near friends and family, is ever more possible for more people.

Learn more at insureltc.com.

And by the Ruth Camp Campbell Foundation.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music) Today, we're in beautiful Virginia Beach, Virginia, way out on the Eastern Shore.

We are here to meet Nick and Wendy Anoia, really cool couple that's lived here for a long time out in the country.

They are downsizing to a much smaller condo in the city, and they really need our help sortin' through everything, deciding what to take.

(gravel crunches) I cannot wait to see this house.

(upbeat music) What a beautiful property.

(birds chirping) (car door slams) Wow.

(Matt knocks on door) (door clicks open) - Hey, welcome!

- Wendy and Nick.

- You're finally here.

- Finally here.

- Finally here.

- We need your help.

- I can see, I see a lotta collections already.

(upbeat music) Now I've heard things about your house.

You guys built this?

- Yes, yep.

- Right?

- I'm in the contracting business doing demolition work.

- So they bring you guys in, you clean it out, and you're able to salvage whatever's in here.

- Keep whatever I want.

- Okay.

How much of it does he keep?

- He keeps a lot of it.

Anything that's worthwhile, he'll keep.

He will save it.

And in the future, we try to figure out how we can repurpose it instead of throwing it in the trash, So we just try to save it.

- So you appreciate it?

- Yeah, oh, definitely, I appreciate it.

- Okay.

- Everything has a story.

- All right, let's test it.

- The fireplace mantle came out of a store in Petersburg.

- One thing I love is fireplace mantle and there's no fireplace.

(everyone laughs) which is a collect, I love it.

I love it as a collector.

(light upbeat music) So how long 'til you guys move?

- I'm hoping within the next six months, I can sell the place.

- Okay.

- You know where you're going?

- Yes.

- So we bought a condo 15 years ago.

- Okay.

- It's down at the oceanfront.

Rudy Inlet, totally opposite of this lifestyle.

- Right at the rest.

- Right, right in the chaos.

It works for us.

- Okay.

- We usually go down there in the summertime and we stay here in the fall and the winter.

So we basically have it fully furnished.

- So you moved in here?

- Right, about 14 years ago.

- Okay, y'all been married for?

- 14 years.

- 14 years.

Okay, all right, and you've been on this property for 30?

- 32 years.

- So a lotta my furniture went naturally to the condo.

- Okay, so all right, so now this is interesting.

The condo is kinda your stuff.

- Mm-hmm.

- And here is your stuff.

- Yes.

- You've already downsized, he hasn't.

- Exactly.

- Right.

- All right, now I get it.

Okay, now I get it.

(Wendy laughs) Nick's been in this property over 30 years, and Wendy's only been here for 15 years.

So Nick had an entire life on this location before he met Wendy.

This table is really spectacular to me.

Tell me about this table.

- The table is a mahogany that my father had in the attic, and my neighbor, Jerry, who's passed away, made this table for me when I was building the house.

- All right, how long did you know Jerry?

- Oh, 32 years.

- 32 years.

- Yeah.

- So we got a deceased friend and a deceased father attached to this table.

That's tough.

How do you get rid of something like that?

- And that's why we called you.

- Yeah.

You know, he's lived here since his dad died.

His brother died and now he's got a close neighbor that's died.

You can feel the emotions that are attached to all the memories of this property.

(upbeat music) - So you had mentioned that you liked the oil lamps?

- I do.

- And here's the rest of Nick's collection.

- Wow, you're not kidding.

Look at this.

- This is high class hoarding.

- You've probably got a hundred, I'm guessing?

Nick is a collector.

I think it's super important to hold on to some items from the past when you downsize, but you need to leave space in your new home for new items and new memories.

I've seen a lotta things.

Never seen a hornet's nest in a house.

I've been in houses that are a hornet's nest, - Yeah.

(Wendy laughs) but I've never actually seen one.

So walk me through the mental process on a hornet's nest in your family room.

- Well, you wait until the winter, - Okay.

- so that there's no more hornets in there.

I found this one on the property, so I cut it down.

One of my guys helped me get it down out of the trees, and I just brought it inside.

- I'm more intrigued the whole time I walk through this house.

I'm like, "Oh, that's cool, that's cool."

And I can see, I mean, and we're really ignoring the most beautiful part of your house: your backyard.

- Oh yeah.

- is just stunning.

(water burbles) I made that too, dug the pond.

- Really?

- before I built the house.

- Man, so you had a vision the whole time?

- Yes, yes.

- Yes.

- That's exactly it.

- This is making it so easy to downsize it.

- Oh, yes!

- Oh, yes!

- Hence the problem.

- Hence the problem.

As full as this house is, it's not cluttered and you can joke, you know, that you're a hoarder, but trust me, of all the people in the world, I can tell you, you're not, all right?

- That's a good thing.

- Yeah, where's our hornet's nest?

- Probably the garage and the barn.

- All right, let's go out there 'cause I need to say what I've got to really work with.

(upbeat acoustic music) - We'll go to the garage first.

Are you ready?

- I don't know, man.

I'm a little nervous.

I can already see that it's a little full.

(garage door clanks open) Wow, yeah.

It's full.

- It's got a lot in here.

- What am I looking at?

- 30-something years of people who have been storing things in our house.

- Oh, so this is other people's storage, half of it?

- Some of it's ours, and some it's theirs.

- Family, friends.

A 1950 Chevy sedan delivery that's been in my family.

And so I got it.

It still runs.

- It does?

- Doesn't look like it.

- What else do I need to know about?

- Well, we have upstairs in the garage, - Okay.

- So we have a front and a back.

We also have a barn behind the garage where there is a downstairs and also an upstairs.

- Also an upstairs.

- So this is a sprawling estate.

(Wendy laughs) We like to say.

- Yes, yes, definitely.

- All right, I know we got a lotta work to do.

Let's go find a nice place to sit down, and I wanna hear about your entire legacy list.

- All right, sounds great.

- Okay.

(upbeat music) - What's your feel of the kinda the downsizing situation you're in?

- What would you say, Nick, desperate?

(laughs) - Desperate is a good word for downsizing.

It's gonna be difficult with everything that I have.

There's no place for it to really go.

- You already know there's only one thing in his house that matters that has to go with you.

- Right.

(Wendy laughs) - It's the girl sitting next to you.

- Exactly.

- Right.

You worked your tails off, both of you.

You worked as a teacher for how long?

- 30 years.

- 30 years.

- 30 years.

- And you've had every other job there is, other than being a teacher.

You guys have earned it, and it's time to move on, and we just gotta hustle and do it, which is fine.

All right, lists are my favorite, obviously legacy list is what we're here for.

As a reminder, a legacy list is a list of items somewhere on this property that are really important to you.

We either need to find them or find out more information about them.

We know they're here.

We've just gotta sort through all this stuff and find them.

And then we're gonna really go through these items and talk about the stories.

It's an item that's gonna help you leave your family legacy for many years to come.

- First item that I have is, because of being in the car business off and on for the last 30 years, there's a collection of hood ornaments that I have acquired and some very old ones.

I'd like to see if we can find those because I'm sure they're up there somewhere.

Where do you think they are?

- Knowing that the salvage yard stuff is in the barn, it'd be barn.

- Okay, barn.

- There's some old ones that I'm not even sure what they are.

- All right, good news is Mike's from here.

He knows a lotta folks around here.

He knows a lotta the old car club guys.

- Right.

- Excellent.

- So we've got hood ornaments.

What's another one?

- So it's my great grandma Galuska's clock.

So this clock, I always remember it being in my grandmother's house.

She was the first generation from that side of the family.

She came from Poland.

We think she was a nanny and this clock, my mom loved, though in the bottom of it, my grandmother would put stickers on everything in our house when she died, who would get it, who would receive it.

So I had my mom's name on it.

- Okay.

- So when my grandmother passed, we brought it back.

My mom moved in the meantime.

She, of course, packed up some of her stuff, stored it in the front of our garage upstairs, but we have yet to find that.

- Okay, garage, okay, cool.

All right, any other ones?

- I've got a Boy Scout collection.

My twin brother, he and I got the Eagle badge together back in 1974.

There's patches that we were collected.

The Boy Scouts was a very big part of our life growing up.

Tons of memories, all the traveling that we did together.

So there was a lotta good memories.

- Tell me more about your brother 'cause you guys were twins, clearly tight.

- Yeah.

- Oh yeah.

- We were fraternal twins, but a lot alike in a lotta ways.

He unfortunately passed away with cancer.

- I think Boy Scouts was big deal for Nick because he did it with his brother.

(upbeat music) (paper crinkles) All right, what's the next one?

- It sounds kinda silly, but it's a set of '57 Chevy hubcaps.

Story behind that is, it was a dear beloved car that I loved that my dad bought.

I bought it from a convent, not from the nuns.

He bought it from the janitor - Okay.

- in Dartmouth, Massachusetts.

- He brought a '57 Chevy.

- Chevy Bel Air.

- Bel Air.

- From a convent, but it was the janitor's car.

So the car itself was bought for my mom, who unlike me, did not like the car.

So my dad was saving it for me thinking, "Oh, I was gonna give this car.

"This is gonna be great."

And someone happened to drive by and he sold it.

So I was devastated.

- Yeah.

- So before he sold it, he popped all the hubcaps off.

- Oh, that's awesome.

put 'em in a bag, and he gave 'em to me, so that's all I have of it.

It was always like an ongoing joke or an idea of my dad and I, that we would eventually buy one and get those hubcaps back up and running.

But he passed away, so we never really got our Bel Air, but I still have the hubcaps somewhere.

I just don't know where.

- I love it.

You put one of those hubcaps on there.

- Could frame it or something, you know?

- And it gives a well, what's that?

- Yeah.

- And then you get to tell your story - Right.

- of your family.

- Exactly, exactly, I don't have the car, but I got a hubcap.

(paper crinkles) (upbeat music) - Do you have any more?

- My dad opened up the barbershop at Pembroke Mall in 1966.

And my dad put me to work in that barber shop, along with my twin brother at the age of eight shining shoes.

But he would let other people come in there and work, but he would let them work and shine 'em for 50 cents.

- Oh, I was just gonna say, a lot of money.

- I could do 50 cents.

He made me keep it at a quarter.

- Why?

- 'Cause he wanted us to appreciate the customer.

- And that was the point?

- Oh yeah, yep.

The register is somewhere up in the garage.

- One other thing that I would like to find is my grandmother, be my father's mom.

She started working on a photo album when my dad was diagnosed with cancer and the photo album has pictures from, pretty much documenting my dad's life and his family.

And underneath the photo, she's got captions of who they are, the time period, where they were - So she did all the documentation?

- Yes, she documented the whole thing.

- Pictures is one of the biggest things in downsizing because when the person that has the information passes away, it's gone.

- Yes.

- Thousands of families have said to me, "Oh, I just wish we had sat down with her and gotten her to write down the stories."

- She did it without anybody asking.

- That's awesome.

(paper crinkles) Man, I love it.

These are all awesome.

I think we got our hands full.

- Oh yeah.

- Let me get my team in here, - The challenge.

- But we're gonna focus on the garage and the barn for you.

- Okay.

- Appreciate it.

- Thank you.

- All right, see you in a couple of days.

- All right.

(water burbling) (upbeat music) - Well, we're out here next to the back bay.

- Yeah, there's water over there too.

- Oh, wow.

- Surrounded by water.

- What's up, guys?

- What's up?

- Matt!

- Hey, Matt!

- What do you think?

- It's beautiful.

- Great.

- Yeah, it's just out in the middle of nowhere, gorgeous.

Mike, you know, you're from here.

- Absolutely.

- You grew up how far from here?

- About 20 minutes.

- Okay, so you knew this area.

- They have a big strawberry festival every year, right down the street.

- Okay.

- Yeah, there's tons of farm land all over.

- Yeah, it's gorgeous.

- Yeah.

- Well, this is a cool downsizing situation.

Nick built this house with his own hands.

- Wow.

- They are moving to a condo, downtown Virginia Beach with what a lot of our clients are seeing as really good real estate market.

- Yes.

- As you know, with your experience with real estate, they gotta do it now.

- Absolutely.

Now is the time to sell.

- Wendy's been ready for 15 years.

(everyone laughs) - This has been a slow process, I get the feeling.

- Nick's not there yet, and you'll see when you start to pick, Nick had a ton of businesses, and then hopefully it's gonna inspire Nick to get going.

- What's on the legacy list?.

What are we looking for?

- All right, we got a cash register from his dad's barbershop.

- Okay.

- Okay.

- There's a old photo album.

You know, we always tell families they need to write down the details.

- Yeah.

- Her grandma did.

- Wow.

- Okay.

- A clock.

There's actually a hood ornaments from a bunch of old cars from like Studebakers.

- Wow.

- And then hubcaps from a '57 Bel Air.

- Wow.

- Wow.

- Okay.

- 'Cause her dad's car and she loved it.

Just a lotta good memories, you know?

- I also see like a outbuilding here.

I'm assuming that's probably full.

- So the house is good.

I think it's ready to show.

You are a hundred percent correct.

You've got a full apartment upstairs that is completely full.

- Okay.

- All right?

- Of course.

- Any other surprises?

- There's actually an even bigger barn behind this garage.

- I guess that's where we're going, right?

- That is exactly where you two guys will go.

- All right.

- Because that's where the best stuff is.

- Okay.

- All right.

Our goal is to give them really a big jumpstart in the garage and the barn, specifically upstairs.

I'ma be honest, I haven't looked in the barn yet.

I hear it's pretty awful.

(Avi laughs) All right.

- Thanks, Matt.

But that's why you guys are here.

(men laugh) All right, let's get started.

- Okay.

- All right.

- Sounds good.

- Let's do it.

(upbeat music) (footfall on gravel) A lotta this is reclaimed wood, so we need to be careful - All right.

- walking on beams and stuff.

I mean, he built this whole thing.

- I mean, it's amazing that he built this.

What?

- I know, everything.

Classic garage.

- Man!

- So let's just get into it, man.

- Some things to do here.

- I know, let's just kick it.

- I'm gonna start over here.

(upbeat music) - He was not lying about how big this barn is.

- Definitely not.

- Here, lemme get this for you.

I'll let you do the honors.

- Okay.

- Come on, put a little muscle into it.

(laughs) (door rattles) Oh my gosh.

- (laughs) Oh no!

- Oh, Matt.

- Okay.

- All right.

Let's get in here.

- Yeah.

- I think.

(Matt laughs) This is a lot of stuff.

- The old Atari, hello.

- Look at that over there.

What is this?

- Old truck grill.

You could tell he's in the salvage business.

- Yes, and we're getting distracted.

We really have to focus on upstairs.

- Okay.

- So let's head that way.

I know this is exciting.

- Start at the top.

- But we gotta stay.

- Work our way down.

- Yeah, we gotta stay on track.

- Okay.

- They tried to separate the stuff as much as they could.

- Yeah, I mean, this is a hodgepodge of stuff.

Look at this, this is a skeet.

- Is that skeet, yeah?

That's what I thought.

- This is a skeet shooter.

- Skeet shooter.

Look, I don't have hubcaps, but I got some wheels over here.

Possible there's some hubcaps are close by.

(suspenseful music) - Story.

I mean, how many businesses did he have?

Do you know the exact number?

- I don't know if he knows the exact number, (Jaime laughs) but I'm sure there's more that we haven't even heard about yet.

(object clinks) - Somebody had a boat at some point.

- Yeah, oh my goodness.

Okay now, this is my jam.

Check it out, Jaime, comic books.

(Jaime laughs) I had a bunch of these, I still do, wow.

- I mean, growing up, what kinda comics were you into?

- Avengers, Spider-Man, Wolverine, you name it.

- Okay.

- Oh my goodness.

- What else?

(metal clanks) - I just found hood ornaments.

- All right, lemme see those.

- Yeah, come on over here.

- This is on the list.

- This is on the list.

I mean, there's a ton of 'em, and oh my gosh, look at this one.

Cars today don't come with hood ornaments.

It was really cool to see these that came from cars back from the '30s, '40s.

- I mean, what do you know about all these?

- Well, I recognize some of them.

- Yeah, me too.

- I think we should really rely on some of the experts around town.

- Okay.

- And I actually have a guy that we can go talk to.

- Perfect.

- One item off the legacy list.

- That's right, good find.

- Whew, they don't make them like this anymore, Jaime.

- No, they definitely don't.

- From hood ornaments to hubcaps, flared fenders to gullwing doors, the way a car looks is as important as how it performs.

That wasn't always the case.

Early automobiles looked more like gas powered, three-wheeled bicycles than the cars we know today.

But these odd looking contraptions would soon take America by storm.

(engine whirring) In 1908, the Model T makes its debut and offers affordable transportation to the masses.

What it doesn't offer is variety.

Henry Ford famously offers drivers a car painted any color they want, so long as it's black.

(air whooshes) By the 1930s, the American public demands more than bland reliability.

Chrysler introduces a series of streamlined airflow models.

Airplanes inspired the eye-catching teardrop design.

Engineers even build a wind tunnel to test the car's aerodynamics.

The single hull chassis is another innovation that radically changes automotive design.

Fenders, headlights, and running boards are now integrated into the body, creating a sleeker look.

The end of World War II sparks renewed interest in automotive design.

Cars are bigger and bolder and reflect a new swagger in the American consumer.

(air whooshes) The Ford Mustang debuts at the 1964 World's Fair, and it's a smash hit.

Detroit rolls out a ton of stylish high-performance cars for a youth market who eats them up.

It's the classic age of the American muscle car.

(tires screech) Between pollution concerns and energy prices, the cars of the '70 and '80s become boxier and more economical.

The trend towards mass produced, fuel-conscious cars continues today.

(air whooshes) What does the future hold?

Whether it's an all electric or a driverless car, there are still plenty of dreamers who long to hit the open road and look good doing it.

Some things never change.

(car horn beeps) (slow upbeat music) (objects clinking) - What is that?

- No idea.

- Want me hold it or open it for you?

This isn't some joke where something's gonna pop out at me, is it?

- I'm not making any promises.

- You see anything?

- Well, it doesn't look like much of anything.

It's got head dress or something like a costume.

- It does, lemme see.

We did say we were looking for some Boy Scout stuff.

Didn't we?

- Yeah.

Oh, look at that.

- Yeah.

- Wow.

- I think we might've come across something here.

Nick was a highly respected scout master.

- Yeah.

- This is one of the things that pretty much honored him as a scout master in the Boy Scouts, so.

- It's crazy how like, culture appropriation has changed in the last... - It's shifted so much.

- This was a piece of honor.

And now it's probably kind of offensive for some - Absolutely.

- Guy to receive it.

- I would think so too, yeah.

- It's really interesting.

- Well, if we found that there, good chances there might be some stuff over there.

- Let's keep looking.

- Old fishing lure.

- We're missing some parts here, but this is a really cool bell.

(upbeat music) - You need any help, let me know.

- Think I got it, man.

Not sure what we have here, but... - Look at that, I think I know what that is.

- Oh man.

There you go.

- There it is.

- You were right.

- (sniffles) Look at that, signatures.

- So that's signatures of all the members.

- All the scouts, yeah.

- Yeah.

- Moose.

(laughs) - Moose.

- It's a Boy Scout name for sure.

(laughs) - Yeah.

- See what else is in here.

- So this would be stuff they would've taken to the jamboree.

- Totally, oh yeah.

I know when I was in Boy Scouts, we had our troop number here, little insignia at the bottom representing where we came from.

- There's your sash, yeah, so those are all of his merit badges.

I mean, you've got first aid.

Man, he had recycling.

That's crazy.

- Yeah.

- Back then.

- Back then.

- Recycle.

- Back then, you're talking about recycling, right?

- We still haven't done that, look at this.

Well, I mean, this is gonna be tough for Nick, and I can see why he saves this.

- Yeah, it was such a big part of Nick and Rick's life.

You know, I mean, it's definitely gonna have an impact.

For Nick and Rick to attain Eagle Scout, I mean, it just takes a lifelong commitment.

We're really happy to be able to find it for him, so he can be reminded of how important it was to not only himself, but to his brother.

(moving acoustic music) - The Boy Scout merit badge, a symbol of personal accomplishment that can take months, often years to achieve.

But perseverance is just part of a Boy Scout's DNA.

(air whooshes) Founded in 1910, the Boy Scouts of America was designed to teach boys patriotism, courage, and above all, self-reliance.

Their motto: be prepared.

(upbeat retro music) For today's scout, that means adapting to an ever-changing world.

The biggest change, in 2017, the Boy Scouts of America announced it would admit girls.

It's a new era of scouting, and there is more to learn than how to build a campfire.

Today's modern scout can earn over 100 merit badges.

Love the ocean?

Earn a merit badge in scuba diving.

For those with stars in their eyes, there's a merit badge in astronomy.

There's even one for, believe it or not, computer programming.

(air whooshes) In 2018, a determined Eagle Scout from Texas earned all the merit badges offered by the Boy Scouts of America, completing the requirements just weeks before his 18th birthday, his final merit badge: bugling, which took him seven years to finally complete.

Now that's a reason to toot your own horn.

(air whooshes) Over the last hundred years, there've been many well-known people connected to Scouts, including former presidents, Olympians, and even those who have walked on the moon.

Here's a bit of Boy Scout trivia that's out of this world.

More than two thirds of all current and former NASA astronauts have been involved in scouting.

And would you believe all three members of the Apollo 13 mission were Boy Scouts?

- Houston, we have a problem.

(air whooshes) - More like problem solved when you remember the Boy Scout pledge: be prepared.

It's all true.

Scout's honor.

(happy piano music) (upbeat country music) (object crunches) - I mean, looking through all this stuff, you can tell that he had his hand in a lot of different businesses.

I mean, there's papers from like all different types of companies in these boxes.

- How far back do you think they go?

- I mean, these that I'm seeing in here date back to the early 2000s, but I imagine that there are some papers much older than that.

- How long do you think somebody should hold onto those documents?

- I mean, you're supposed to hold on to tax-related stuff for seven years, but there's definitely stuff over here that he could get rid of.

He could have it shredded.

- Or scanned.

- Yeah.

- Well, that would be a huge first step for him, I think.

- Yeah.

Oh, look at this.

- What'd you got?

- Well, it's a photo album that's clearly been... - Oh, wow.

- Yeah, the pictures are all documented.

And I know that Wendy was looking for something like this from her grandma.

- Look at that, rocking out.

- Yeah.

- Uncle Sonny.

- This photo album was particularly special because it actually had handwritten dates and some descriptions of the photos in that photo album, which is really unique because oftentimes, we get handed down these photo albums with no context.

This is so great.

I mean, I wish that someone in my family had done this.

- I can see why this would be on the legacy list because this is their family's history.

- Absolutely.

Oh, there's Wendy.

- We know who she is.

- I'm really, really thrilled that we found this for her.

I mean, I know this was like an important book of memories that she wanted to take with her, and it's great.

It's consolidated.

It's not gonna take up a lotta space.

She can certainly move that forward with her.

- Absolutely.

(upbeat music) (light tapping) (Matt groans) - All right, Avi, come here.

I think this is gonna tell us something.

I have learned this in the last couple of years, when you have a plastic bucket like that, and there's a blanket at the top, they've usually wrapped something in it.

I gotta hunch, yep, here it is.

Look at this, exactly what I thought.

(groans) Her grandma's... - Oh, clock.

- Clock.

Look at this.

- That is beautiful, man.

Look at that, man.

Boy, it's really nice.

So it's got the columns, all the insides are intact.

The glass is there.

I think it's so cool, and I love all of the emotions that are attached to these items.

So not is it a legacy list item, but we actually need to keep it safe 'cause they're gonna move it to the condo.

- That's what makes our jobs worth it.

- Oh, totally.

I love it.

That's why people hire us.

All right, I'm putting this to the side.

Keep picking.

(upbeat music) (birds chirping) (objects clinking) TV, antennas.

- See what we got here.

- I think I got a bunch of grandma's stuff over here.

- Uh oh.

- Mailbox.

- What is this?

- Uh oh, uh oh!

- Oh!

- '57 Chevy.

Well, I think, it's a hubcap, at least.

- Found the hubcaps.

- Look at this.

Look at that.

I don't personally know if these are the Bel Airs or not, but let's let Mike do some work for us and find out - All right.

- what we got.

This is super cool.

- Mike'll definitely knows somebody.

- I love it.

I mean, these hubcaps are a perfect legacy list item.

They're not that valuable financially, but they have incredibly huge, important stories attached to them.

I mean, it's one of the main things Wendy remembers about her dad, is this car.

(upbeat music) (insects chirping) (upbeat country music) - You have such a beautiful home.

- Thank you.

- Such a beautiful home.

And I especially love this kitchen.

- Thank you.

- Yeah.

- As you know, the house is made out of all kinds of demolition and we've repurposed many things and one of the things I'd like to show you is the ceiling.

So the ceiling came out of Edgar Cayce's Institute.

He was in the early 1920s and '30s.

He was a spiritual healer, and he believed in holistic healing.

Some of the things that people have like accepted nowadays, perhaps weren't accepted in the past.

- I bet he was radical back then.

- Oh, definitely.

- Yeah.

I mean, there's a lot of folklore in this area.

- Yes.

- I'm coming to learn.

- Right, so another story for Pungo is a folklore about the witch of Pungo.

- Right, this is what I've heard.

- Yes, and her name is Grace Sherwood, - Okay.

- And you know, the late 1600s, early 1700s, she was actually accused of being a witch.

She gets tried for it.

The punishment is, we're gonna tie you and basically dunk you.

- Okay, so if you float, if you can like survive or float?

- You can get out of it like Houdini, you are now a witch.

If not then, oops, we made a mistake.

So she pops up and she now is accused of being a witch.

She did go to jail for several years.

They did release her and she lived to be in her 80s.

- Really?

- So folklore has it, her house is right around the corner off of Muddy Creek Road and we even have a photo of it.

- I mean, have you experienced any witchy things living out here?

- None, nothing.

- Been no witches.

- Nothing whatsoever.

(eerie music) - Since the beginning of time, people have been obsessed with the supernatural.

Many ancient civilizations believed it was possible to see into the future.

Seers would examine the end trails of sacrificed animals to help predict upcoming events.

(air whooshes) During the Renaissance, a French physician and astrologer began to see visions of the future.

He wrote them in a poetic, cryptic style to throw off those in power.

Some believe his writings predicted major world events that wouldn't take place for hundreds of years.

His name: Nostradamus.

But you knew that.

(playful music) In America, the 19th century saw a rise in spiritualism.

Among its most famous believers, Mary Todd Lincoln.

the First Lady hosted several seances in the White House, some of which were attended by her husband.

After he was assassinated, she became obsessed with contacting him.

She even hired the famous spirit photographer, William H. Mumler, to try and capture his spectral image.

(camera clicks) Is this a picture of Mary Todd and her husband's ghost?

You be the judge.

(air whooshes) The 20th century's most famous psychic was Edgar Cayce.

He claimed to connect to a universal super consciousness, which allowed him to see the future, with mixed results.

(air whooshes) Legendary magician and escape artist, Harry Houdini, exposed fake mediums during his life and claimed that if anyone could come back from the dead, it would be him.

He even worked out a secret message with his wife so that she would know it was him.

To this day, a seance is held every Halloween to contact Houdini.

So far, he hasn't escaped the shackles of the great beyond.

(playful music) Today, spiritualism is alive and well.

And the quest to commune with the dead goes on.

Some things never die.

(eerie music) (upbeat music) - Matt found the hubcaps and he wasn't sure if they were the right ones.

So I knew we were gonna need to find an expert to help us out.

- Check out this.

- Oh my God.

(doors slam shut) This is amazing.

(Mike laughs) Look at these cars.

- I mean, oh my gosh.

There's doubt we were in the right place.

- I'd say you found the right guy.

- Hey, Mike.

- Tammy.

- Welcome to the farm.

- Nice to meet you in person finally.

- Yes, finally meet you.

- Lemme introduce you to Matt.

- Hey, how are you?

- Matt, this is Tammy.

- Nice to meet you.

- As to you.

- Very good to see you.

- Yup, good to see you.

- God, I mean, this is beautiful.

Is this y'all's family farm?

- Yes, welcome to the family farm.

- Golly day, this is like heaven.

- Yeah, it is.

- So you got corn and cars?

- Yep.

- All right, well, can we talk to your dad?

- Yeah, I'll go get him.

Hey, Dad?

- Meeting Mr. Burroughs was an experience, I can say that.

Look at this car, man.

- Man, oh man.

- It's beautiful.

I love it.

- Look at that.

- Push button radio, man.

- Don't touch that car.

You wanna death wish?

- Yes, sir.

Yes, sir, Mr. Burroughs.

(Tammy laughs) Now this, from my memory, these are the old bootleggin' cars, aren't they?

- Yeah, well, they got a seat.

Let me get over here.

See in here, they had this seat here.

- Oh, wow.

- Pull his seat up and put your stuff back there.

- They put liquor in the back.

- Yeah.

- And they'd hide the liquor back there and then take it down the back dirt roads.

(car door slams) - Five gallon jugs.

- Yeah.

(Tammy laughs) - You don't know anything about that though, right?

- No, I never drank, never smoked.

- Really?

That's why you're doing so well at your age, I would guess.

(Tammy chuckles) From my understanding, this is really the roots of NASCAR, these cars right here.

- This car here was.

They used 'em for racing.

- Yeah, on the beach.

All right, well, I love this car, but you said that's your favorite.

- Well, yeah, 'cause I play down the road better.

- This one moves.

- Quick.

- Quicker.

All right, can I look at the engine on this one?

- Yeah.

(upbeat music) (Tammy laughs) - It might start.

Let me show you how quick it starts.

- Yeah, that'd be great if it starts.

(engine whirs) - Listen to that.

- It might start.

- Mike, you knew it was gonna start.

(Mike laughs) Look at this thing.

(Mike groans) - That's damn sexy.

(engine hums) - When did you get this?

- April 1959, April the 27th.

I've got the original bill of sale and everything in that.

- So you're the only owner on this your whole life?

- That's right.

- Brought us home from the hospital in it.

- Really?

- Yes.

- Whoa.

- That is awesome.

- Yup.

- That's so cool, man.

- Well, Mr. Burroughs, we're actually here to try and get some help with some hubcaps that Nick had.

Would you mind taking a look at 'em?

- No, I'll look at 'em, but I'll do what I can, you know?

- Okay.

- Okay.

- Well, I gotta hunch, if you don't know, nobody's gonna know.

- Yup.

- All right, why don't you go get 'em?

- Yeah, I'll go grab 'em.

- Here's my favorite hubcap.

- Right there, that's beautiful.

I just like the red rims on 'em.

- I know.

- All right, Mr. Burroughs, we're gonna put you to the test here.

What do you think about these?

(metal hubcaps clinking) (birdsong) - Yep, it's Chevrolet.

- We're hoping they're from a '57 Bel Air.

- That's what it looks like, a '57 Chevrolet.

Somebody pulled it off, hard and bent it.

- How do you know this was on a Chevy?

- Well, because of the type of lock they use 'cause it's fully covered the wheel.

- Okay.

- See this lock in here?

This thing right here, had it go right up into the rim and lock what you had.

- So Fords and everybody else would have a different type of mechanism.

- Yeah, yeah, everybody had a different sub cap.

- Mr. Burroughs was able to authenticate these hubcaps and prove that they were the ones that came off of the Bel Air.

Mr. Burroughs, we appreciate your time, man.

This was a joy, just an honor to hang out with you.

- Yes, sir.

(upbeat music) - While Matt and Mike were off on a field trip, Avi and I had one more task at hand.

We had found everything on the legacy list except for the cash register, and we had one more place to look.

(device humming) Watch out for the...

It's a little muddy down here in the wetlands.

Oh, wow, this is where you've been?

- This is where I been, we're here.

- I mean, if I was a cash register, where would I be in this room?

- Maybe somewhere that makes some cents.

- (laughs) Avi with the dad jokes.

So the clutter above the garage was really no different than what we found in the barn.

You know, it was a culmination of things that had just been stored up there and forgotten about.

- All right.

- Look at all these old toys.

- I had one of those.

That a Bigfoot?

- Yeah.

- Yep.

(laughs) That looks like a box that would've been in my house though.

- Yeah.

- Optimus Prime trailer.

- Oh, oh!

- You got something?

- I found it.

- Ooh!

- I feel like this is gonna be too heavy to lift up.

- Thank goodness.

(object clinking and scrapes along floor) (object sputters) - We do it together.

One, two, three.

Oh my gosh.

No way, that is like cast iron.

- Maybe there's some money in it.

(Jaime and Avi laugh) - Some gold bricks.

If I tilt it, and you get your hands under it.

- All right, ready, one, two, three.

- Okay, here we go.

(sighs) - That is cool.

- Wow, that is really cool.

So this was in the barbershop, right?

- Yeah.

- Yeah, barbershop.

You know, these buttons were custom made, I mean, for the barbershop.

- Oh, really?

- On this register for that time.

- For the prices.

- Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

- I mean, what do you think you got for $5?

- That's the full shebang.

- Like a haircut.

- That's the haircut, shave.

- Yeah.

- Maybe shoe shine.

- Oh, maybe.

- The funny story I heard from Nick was that Nick and Rick, could only earned 25 cents per shine.

- What?

- Where the other shoe shiners were earning 50 cents.

(Jaime groans) So they had to work twice as hard to make the same amount of money.

- Man.

- Isn't that wild?

- That work ethic really has paid off.

- I'm really excited about this because it's the last item on the legacy list.

- I think you're right.

It's the last one and maybe the heaviest one.

(laughs) (upbeat music) - The job was definitely bigger than I anticipated.

We were getting a little worried that we wouldn't be able to finish the barn and the garage.

We knew we were gonna need trucks 'cause we were gonna get things to donation, get things to auction, get things wherever they needed to go.

That included trash, that included recycling.

It was a lot to take in, but this is what we do.

(upbeat music) (anticipative music) - Nick and Wendy are an awesome couple, and it was fun to really get into their lives and get to know them.

I think this one was a special one because our entire team, we grew up around here.

All right, check it out.

- This is incredible.

- Oh my.

- A lotta space.

- This is the emptiest I've ever seen it, like seriously.

This is the emptiest I've ever seen it.

- Well, it probably is 'cause you already lived here when she moved in.

- Oh.

yes.

- It's not empty, but it's a lot more empty.

- It's clean, it's emptier than it was.

This is fantastic.

No, it's amazing 'cause I know it would've taken us months to do this.

Well, we've been trying to do it for months actually, but you guys have done it.

This is amazing.

- We did take about a thousand pounds of trash outta here.

- I believe it.

- This is motivational.

We can now like do this.

It's like, you've given us some good skills.

- All right, let's go next door, see what we did about the garage.

- Excellent.

(upbeat music) - This is amazing.

- Oh my Lord.

- Check it out.

- Goodness.

- So it's not perfect.

It's not done, but we've gotten you some space, got in some order.

We also cleared out the upstairs of the barn.

- That's amazing.

- You've managed to accomplish something in a few days that we've been trying to do for years.

Nick, look it.

You could see out the window.

- I didn't even know I had a window.

(everyone laughs) - So I'd like to go into the house where there's air conditioning and go through the legacy list.

- Oh, this is exciting, I can't wait!

(upbeat music) (birds chirping) (upbeat music) - We are here to help you with downsizing.

We found a few things.

We cleaned out some rooms, but we're really gonna focus on the transition.

- Okay.

- One of the new trends in downsizing is upcycling.

So we're reusing an old item - Oh, yes.

- for a new purpose.

- Right.

- Exactly, and it's got character.

You can't create the character overnight.

It takes years to do it.

- And no one else is gonna have it, so it's completely unique.

- It's unique.

- You went and you upcycled most of these items.

The problem is you're really good at that.

And that's why we've got barns and garages full of stuff.

- Right.

- Right, that's where the problem comes in.

- Because you see the opportunity in everything, so we're here to kinda, like, change that mentality.

All right, our first legacy list item (Wendy laughs) is the cash register.

- Oh, yes.

- This was from your dad's barbershop, right?

- Yes, it is.

- Tell me about what you remember about that.

- It was a lot of fun.

He had several barbers, barbers chairs on both sides.

I remember working in there as a shoe shine boy, along with my twin brother.

It was fun.

You know, it was the start of my working career.

- I really believe that.

(Wendy laughs) What I love about this cash register, it wraps up two words that I see with you guys, hard work and family.

- And that's us.

And I look around this house, and I think hard work and family.

- Hard work is only if you don't like what you're doing.

So if you like what you're doing, you don't work in a day in your life.

It's just a lotta fun to me to be in business.

And it doesn't matter what business I'm in really.

- What do you wanna do when you grow up?

(Wendy laughs) - I'm not really sure 'cause I don't think I've really grown up yet.

Being able to learn how to relax would be a good thing.

- I agree.

(Wendy laughs) (upbeat music) All right, our next item was really a request from you.

You can hear it?

- Yes, I can hear it.

- You can see it.

It was the hubcaps.

- Yup, '57 Chevy Bel Air, my most beloved car.

- Tell us why you love that car.

- 'Cause it was something my dad and I love together and he promised me the car.

It was parked down the lane.

Somebody spotted, offered my dad enough money, and he sold it.

But before he sold it, he said, "I got ya the hubcap."

So I've always carried these around.

- And we were really lucky to get connected with your neighbor down the street, Mr. Burrough.

Mr. Burrough was a character.

- Yes, he is.

(Wendy laughs) - That guy knows a lot about cars.

- Yes, he does.

He said, oh, it's a Chevy, definitely a Chevy.

Apparently it's hard to get these hubcaps off.

- Oh, my dad managed to get 'em off and had no mechanical skills whatsoever.

- I mean, that was the one thing that Mr. Burrough was so adamant about was that it was really hard to get these, especially on a Bel Air, it was hard to get these off because of the lock.

So your dad kinda went out of his way.

- That's amazing.

For him to get that off and that being so hard is absolutely amazing.

- I love it.

- A testimony to how much he really wanted me to have the car, but I guess he had a bill to pay (laughs) to feed four kids.

(moving music) - So my next legacy list item is for Nick, these hood ornaments.

- Oh, yes.

- Found 'em.

- Beautiful, big, heavy.

- Oh my.

- Tell me about these.

- They're old.

I don't know what they came off of.

They're just unique.

They're from a bygone era.

- This is definitely a Ford.

We learned a lot about it from Mr. Burrough.

- Oh, yes.

- These are aftermarket.

So they go on whatever vehicle you wanted to put 'em on.

- Okay.

- These hood ornaments to me, they represent your collections, and we are surrounded with your collections.

(Wendy giggles) All right, we have salt and pepper shakers.

We have fishing lures.

We have oil lamps.

We have paperweights.

You joked with me at the beginning.

You said, "I'm like a high class hoarder," (Wendy laughs) - Yes.

You are not a hoarder.

After spending a few days here, you actually enjoy your collections.

You show them, you share them.

- 'Cause I appreciate it, appreciate what it took to make it.

- Really, we need to get rid of this stuff, - Right.

- and here I am finding more stuff for you.

(Wendy laughs) (upbeat acoustic music) I got to know a lot about Nick and his family.

I wanted to spend some time on yours, and likely you asked us for this, this awesome clock.

(Wendy laughs) It's beautiful.

It's exactly what you said it was.

- So first of all, where'd you find it?

- It was right under your daughter's stuff above the garage.

It was very well wrapped.

Whoever put it in there, they put it in there to protect it.

- Protect it.

I still can't believe you found it.

- And it's been really good shape, and it's beautiful.

Tell me whose it was.

- This belonged to my great grandma Galuska, and I remember it sat on a table in front of the stairway.

Always remember it being there, and why I remember and why it is so important is this is my mom's favorite piece in my grandma's house.

And she always would talk about it.

She loved it.

Then my mom moved, boxed everything up.

Some of the things wound up in the attic, and this was one thing that we misplaced.

- Where's this going?

- My mom.

- Okay.

- That is going to my mom.

- It's a wonderful piece.

You come from a lot of really interesting women.

- Yes.

(laughs) - There's one that we don't talk a lot about.

(Wendy laughs) Teacher of the year.

- You found the badge!

(laughs) - Why are we not hearing about this?

- Was that up in the attic?

- Yes, it was right next to this.

- No way.

This is hilarious that you found this.

Yes, I was teacher of the year, 2007 for Princess Ann Middle School.

- I love it.

- Her name on the marquee.

- Yeah.

- Yeah, yeah.

- Oh, yeah.

- And what's so cool about this is the time period my dad was sick and I can remember it was so hard to fill out all the paperwork and write the stories.

And I didn't think I was a great writer, and he's like, "You've gotta do it."

So we spent a lotta time, read what you wrote.

Nah, that doesn't sound like you, you need to edit this.

You need to edit that.

So he got to actually see me, you know, be teacher of the year, so it was something he was proud of too.

- That's really cool.

You dad got to see it.

- Yup.

- As we downsize, that's the stuff that starts to matter.

- And this is tiny, I can take it with me.

- You can.

- I can fold it up, put it in my pocket, good to go.

(laughs) - So what's more important about that, winning it or knowing that your dad got to see it?

- My dad.

(moving music) - I wish my dad could see all the stuff I'm doing now.

- Exactly, right?

- Yeah.

When you clean out a house like this and you downsize, you are picking up items that your loved ones once held and I can see why it was so hard for Wendy.

Another item you asked us to find.

- Oh, yeah.

(laughs) - was the family.

- Oh, all about my dad again.

Thanks a lot.

(laughs) Thank you very much for finding this.

- Show us what's so special about this.

- Okay, so when my dad was sick, my grandmother took the time to curate this photo album for him, which we didn't know about until she passed away.

And we found this in the apartment.

This is one of the things that I took, and we've got childhood pictures.

We've got multiple wedding pictures.

My dad when he was a young boy at Christmas, my granny who's most beloved.

She's a wonderful lady.

- Because your grandma filled all this stuff out, we were actually able to find out more about your family.

- Oh, wow.

- It's really amazing.

This is her receipt from Ellis Island.

- Oh, this is fantastic.

I have been looking for this.

- 1906, she arrived, 19 years old from Belgium.

- Really?

- With $10 in her pocket.

- I'll never looking at $10 the same.

- And a note to find her brother.

- Really?

- That's it.

(upbeat music) - Wow, can you imagine being 19 years old and doing that with $10?

- No.

- That's amazing.

- I mean, 1906 on a boat.

That's amazing.

She basically took a chance.

She had nothing else, nothing.

- That's amazing, and it was just her.

- That's it?

- Yeah.

Looking for her brother.

- I was really amazed.

A lotta this research has just become available.

But when families document, it allows families to find information like we did here.

- Okay.

- All right.

It's really awesome what you can learn.

She came from Belgium with 10 bucks and a note.

(Wendy laughs) You know?

I just love your family's story.

- Thank you.

(upbeat music) - The last item you asked me to find was stuff from the Boy Scouts.

- Yes.

- And man, we found it all.

I'm gonna put a few things out here.

- Oh my.

- Your patches was amazing.

- I've never seen that, Nick.

- That's neat.

- Sashes.

- 'Cause I couldn't find it.

- Let's get real impressive here.

(Wendy exclaims) You're an Eagle Scout.

- Yes.

- That's a big deal, man.

- Yep.

- That's the Eagle Scout badge.

That's not something you'd just get for tying a few knots.

- No, no.

(Wendy laughs) - And you did this with somebody?

- Yeah.

- Tells us who it was.

(Nick sighs deeply and sobs) - It was my twin brother.

- Your brother.

(upbeat music) We found a lot of amazing pictures of him and you.

There he is.

Look at this.

This is your brother.

- That's cool.

- That is cool.

- I know this is tears of joy.

There's some great pictures.

We found tons of pictures of you guys.

We learned a lot about your family.

You do a lot of collecting.

You've had a lotta collections, but unfortunately, you're having a lot of losses lately, too.

- Mm-hmm.

- Yes.

- So many of us focus on downsizing the stuff, right?

We're stuck on all this stuff.

I'm not worried about you on this stuff.

I'm worried about on the doing.

Your brain, (Wendy laughs) Reason your hair is so good is it's being pushed outta the head with all these ideas.

(Wendy laughs) And it's like the whole Play-Doh thing, ya know when it pushed up?

You are so busy mentally that I don't know if you stop and give time for the losses we collect, because we don't wanna think about the losses.

- Yeah.

- That's classic.

- Right.

- We all do it.

- With all the losses, that's what we've realized.

I mean, that's what we've had this conversation that, you know, you never know.

So we really have to force ourselves to kinda just take a step back.

You know, again, I do believe Nick will probably still continue to work, but not as hard, not as much time and start to enjoy what he's done, what he's built.

- I'd love to be able to show up at 10 and leave at two.

And that's gonna be my retirement.

- When we saw the garage and how much we cleaned out.

- Oh yeah.

- I think you saw the relief.

When you retire and you move, you should feel the same relief as well.

- Oh yeah.

- A lotta people think downsizing means I'm getting old.

I'm gonna sit on the couch and watch TV and stop living.

And that's just not the case because Nick and Wendy are young, and they're gonna have a many years of fun ahead of them.

And you've gotta make some space in your new house for the new memories.

It's been an honor, honestly, to meet you guys.

We could dig forever.

(Wendy laughs) 'cause we gotta lot of good stuff and we got a lotta great stories, and that's what a legacy is about.

- Yeah.

- I wanna come back next year.

I wanna go to the condo.

I wanna have a cocktail on the balcony, (Wendy laughs) and I wanna do it on a Thursday or Friday.

- Oh, not a problem.

- Yes, yes.

- Not on a Saturday.

- That's a fabulous challenge.

I love it.

- Y'all are just a joy to be around.

- Oh, thank you.

- Well, thank you, thank you.

(upbeat music) - [Announcer] Funding for "Legacy List" is provided by Bekins Van Lines.

At Bekins, our goal is to provide a smooth and simple moving experience no matter the size or distance of your move.

Bekins is ready to help you get there.

You can find us at bekins.com.

Bekins, this is moving.

FirstLight Home Care, committed to providing safe and compassionate home services for you and your family.

FirstLight believes personal relationships and engagement are as important as mobility, bathing, and personal hygiene.

Details at firstlighthomecare.com.

The Mavins Group, a downsizing, real estate sales, and move management company committed to easing the emotional and physical demands of beginning a new stage of life.

The Mavins Group, so much more than a move.

(upbeat music) Insure Long Term Care, where we believe that aging at home, near friends and family, is ever more possible for more people.

Learn more at insureltc.com.

And by The Ruth Camp Campbell Foundation.

(upbeat music) (moving acoustic music) - Visit mylegacylist.com to learn more about the tips, tools, and professionals to help make your own big life move easier.

Learn more about this episode or submit your story to be featured on the show at mylegacylist.com.

(upbeat moving music) (dramatic piano music) (upbeat orchestral music)