>>Coming up on "Legacy List With Matt Paxton," Matt and the team travel to Connecticut where they help a man clear out an old barn filled with artwork.

>>Wow.

>>That's a lot of art.

>>The goal, convert the space into a living memorial that celebrates his father's artistic legacy.

>>How many times have you heard someone say, "Oh, my house is gonna be a museum?"

>>I'm holding an actual Picasso.

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.

>>Oh my gosh.

>>She's gonna love that.

>>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.

(bright upbeat music) >>[Female Announcer] Support for Legacy List comes from MakeSpace.

MakeSpace picks up, stores and return your items on demand.

Available for home or business.

MakeSpace provides professional movers, plus bins, blankets and a digital photo inventory.

You can find us at makespace.com.

And by ensure long-term care where we believe aging at home near friends and family is ever more possible for more people.

Learn more at insureltc.com.

AARP Virginia offering family caregiving support with prepare to care and down sizing and decluttering on line workshops designed to help organize and assess family needs Find the complete online workshop schedule At AARP.org/virtual VA The Ruth Camp Campbell Foundation (bright lifting music) >>Today, I'm in the historic town of Coventry, Connecticut, and I'm going to meet a gentleman named David Hayes.

He was introduced to me by a good friend of mine, Denise, who's a local move manager.

She said he's got a really unique downsizing situation and they need my help.

>>Denise.

>>Hey, Matt.

>>How are you?

>>Good how you doing?

>>Good to see you.

>>Welcome to rainy Coventry, Connecticut.

>>Thank you.

Yeah, it's a little yucky >>It's getting better >>All right, so what am I doing here?

>>We have a huge property, it's David Hayes Sculpture Fields here.

The house is called Stonewalls and they're everywhere.

This is a huge property with a lot of things, so- >>It looks like it just keeps going forever.

>>It just keeps going 54 acres of property and a big house.

They have a huge barn here with a lot of artwork that they're looking to relocate.

So, we need to clean that out.

>>So, we've got to find some things in the barn, we've got to relocate a lot of stuff.

>>Oh yeah, it'll be fun.

>>I can see why you called me.

All right, I'ma go meet David and I'll probably call you mid-week if we need some more help.

>>Cool, let me know if you find anything good.

>>I will, all right.

Thank you.

>>Bye.

>>I had done a little bit of research about the Hayes family and I'd learned a little bit about David, but I had no idea how big this collection really was.

>>Hey, Matt, welcome to Stonewalls.

>>How are you, dude?

>>Really well, come on ahead.

Come on and get on in.

>>Thank you, man.

>>Thanks for being here.

>>Let's check it out.

Wow.

>>Glad you're here.

>>How old is this house?

>>Oh, it was built in 1720.

>>So, it's old.

We've lived here since '71.

I grew up here.

>>And do you remember ever using the fireplace?

>>Yeah, my mom used it, especially during the ice storms.

When the power would go out, she would actually cook in the fireplace.

>>It would probably heat the whole house, I'm sure.

>>Yeah.

That little alcove off to the left is for baking bread what's upon a time.

>>I'd make pizza in that thing.

All right, I see a lot of art.

(bright music) >>Obviously, your dad was an artist.

Did your dad do the paintings?

I know he was a sculptor.

>>He did everything you see here.

He was a sculptor, but he also painted, he worked on all media.

We've got stained glass here, canvases in the barn, there's no shortage of art and we grew up with this >>So, is the goal to turn this property into kind of a place where people can come?

>>Exactly, the foundation is turning this into an outdoor museum.

It's open to the public.

We don't charge admission and if this place is run in 50 years, I'll be perfectly happy.

>>So, the apple doesn't fall that far from the tree, David.

David's goal was to clean out his dad's workshop and house and make it really a living museum for his dad's work.

So, it was a little different type of downsizing, but it is downsizing.

All right, cool, where else should we go?

>>Hey, let me show you the next room.

(bright music) So, Matt, we got a bunch of stuff that I can show off to you.

So, guess who that is?

>>I'm guessing that's your dad.

>>That's my dad.

He had a really robust 60-year career and boy, he had a lot of fun doing it.

>>All right, tell me about this table.

>>My dad would have made this in the early '70s, I'm thinking about '73.

The edge is mahogany, the frames of steel frame that my father would have welded, it's unique, it's the only one that he did that's like this.

>>This house is really interesting' cause like, I know that he was an artist, but he made a lot of the furniture.

So, the wood, all of these tiles, that's your dad.

>>Exactly.

>>Whose is that?

[David] This is a forged steel piece that my dad would have made before I was born.

He saw a woman carrying lamb on her shoulders.

He made a bunch of sketches and forged this, actually standing at a steel forge pounding the hot metal into curves and then welding the individual pieces together, one piece at a time.

>>Your dad's a legit artist.

>>He was a serious guy, yeah.

He had early shows at the Museum of Modern Art and those shows would have been forged steel sculptures like this one.

>>So, your dad had shows at the MoMA?

>>Well, yeah, he showed at the Museum of Modern Art.

Most of the major museums around this country have my dad's work in their collection.

>>I've worked with so many families where the house is full because the person's brain is so full.

What was your dad's brain like?

>>With him, it was always, always on.

The fountain of ideas was always just gushing.

He would use a word called triage.

Of all these things he's working on simultaneously, which one does he move forward with?

Which one does he move to completion?

>>I understand that.

>>Just the hardest work man I know, just absolutely nonstop.

Let's go to the next room, how's that?

>>Okay.

Really the first three rooms that I saw in the house were really nice and in order.

>>This is the formal dining room.

My parents would have given dinners around this table.

>>There's a lot of art, it's a beautiful house.

Where's the mess?

[David] Let me show you something, here you go.

>>And then as soon as he opened the door to the foyer I was like, oh, this is what I'm here to do.

You couldn't even get to the front door because it was filled with junk.

One of the beauties about an artist is they see the good in everything.

There's nothing that's done, it's all usable.

They can turn it into art.

And David Hayes kept it all.

>>So, that's your job, Matt.

>>That is the job.

This is what, the vestibule?

>>The vestibule.

It's a formal entryway to the house.

I've not seen that wallpaper in 40 years, I'd love to see it again.

>>Okay.

(bright upbeat music) Yeah, there's a lot of stuff in there.

The goal here is this would be empty.

>>Clear it up.

>>All right and then what is upstairs?

>>My dad's studio is right above us.

That's where the bulk of the art is.

You've seen nothing.

Art storage, their bedrooms, there's a lower attic and upper attic, all kinds of little places where you can find your treasures.

>>Anything else we need to be looking at?

>>Yeah, sure is.

There's this big 19th century barn, it's just loaded with stuff.

Wait until you see that, your eyes are gonna go wide.

(bright music) So, here's the entrance to the barn.

It was built in the 1800s, it used to house sheep.

But if you look around you now, all you see is art.

>>The volume of work that your dad did is just amazing and it's pretty overwhelming and amazing at the same time.

Statues and then miniature forms of statues and lots of paintings in all these colors in this big massive barn.

And it's just a huge collage of everything.

And I knew this was gonna be a massive job.

>>I need to pull this stuff out, get it photographed and cataloged, put that into the cloud so that any arts college that wants to do research on my dad's work will have it there.

>>So operationally, you just need me to basically empty the barn?

>>And then, the foundation takes it from there.

>>Okay, all right.

Wow, I think we can do that.

I'm gonna leave the styrofoam.

>>All right.

>>So, I'm gonna get my guys and I'm gonna try to put a really big dent in it.

>>That'd be great.

>>I've only got so many days.

Is there anything else I need to see before we put our whole plan together?

>>There sure is, I got one more thing to show you.

>>All right, what is it?

>>Let's take a look.

>>Okay.

I was really lucky, I got to walk the whole grounds, really soak in all this artwork and I can really see David's goal now after I walked the property.

I see why he wants to make this a living museum.

>>You're getting the grand tour.

So, these are my dad's grounds.

>>When did your dad pass?

>>2013, so he's been gone seven years.

>>So, man, but not that long really.

So, this is where you grew up.

>>Yep.

>>Yeah, this is a killer property.

>>My dad's hanging pieces, they start twirling gently in the wind.

There's literally motion right there.

I gotta show you something you've never seen before.

We're gonna dip into here, this is the orchard.

[Matt] The orchard?

>>Yeah, it's where my dad put his screen sculptures.

>>I have never seen anything like this.

>>I told you you were in for something fun.

>>You were right.

>>The whole grounds are sculpture fields.

Here, you're just seeing one small piece.

We have grounds that go back acres and acres.

>>Man, this is amazing.

Do you even know how many sculptures you have?

>>Easily several hundred and everything you see here, he did with his own hand.

He created the sculptures by himself, he moved them here by himself with the help of a pickup truck.

>>This is all him?

>>Yeah.

>>You think your dad had that vision?

>>He always had that vision.

School groups, college students could come, walk the grounds and enjoy art face to face the way we're seeing it now.

>>He really wants people to experience all the amazing work that his dad created.

My job is to help you go through the legacy list.

And what's interesting about this situation is this is physically your dad's legacy.

>>Yeah, it is.

It's the product of 60 years of really hard work.

>>I've never actually walked through somebody's life- >>Well here you are-- here you are.

>>All right, well, let's get inside and find a place to sit and we'll go through the legacy list.

>>Let's go do it, after you.

>>Thank you.

(bright music) [Matt] I'm used to helping people downsize, but this one is a little unique.

I have no idea what you're gonna ask for.

This is about you and what items you want, what are special to you.

>>I've thought about this, Matt, and my parents had pretty eclectic lives.

Everything you see around here is art.

I'm thinking about some items that are maybe not art, things that were significant to us as children as we were growing up.

When my dad was young, 12, 13, he made these model airplanes by hand and this is pre-radio days.

So, he would actually actuate it with wires from his hand.

They're somewhere in this house, I don't know where they are.

>>These are from when he was a kid, not when you were.

>>Correct, yap.

>>Did you get to play with them when you were a kid?

>>We never got the motor working, but I saw them and I handled them.

These model planes exist somewhere in the house.

If you can find those, that'd be great.

There's another item that comes to mind.

When I was growing up, I remember he always used a badger hair shaving brush to shave with.

He probably started that in the Navy, and that brush is probably somewhere in the house.

It's an important memory to me because that's how he started every morning.

>>So, he did shave every morning.

>>Correct.

>>So, your dad who really debunked societal norms his entire life, still got up, shaved every morning.

>>He took his work really seriously.

He was a very professional man.

He was as serious about this as a surgeon would be opening somebody up.

>>All right, what's another item?

>>Somewhere in this house is a beautiful old carved wooden grouse.

It's a painted grouse, it's something they would have bought at a local auction house.

>>So, we're talking a lot about your dad stuff.

You have anything on the list for your mom?

>>I sure do.

My mother was a remarkable person in her own right.

One thing, she kept the family on the straight and narrow.

She was also an accomplished French chef.

One of the reasons we had all these lunches and dinners here is because people came for her cooking.

There's a book that she published, it's French- >>Your mom was a published author?

>>Correct, she tested the recipes on us as little kids.

If we liked it, it went into the book.

That book is somewhere in this house.

>>What's the title of the book?

>>"French Cooking For People Who Can't".

>>There seems to be a theme of inclusion from your parents, a desire for everyone to participate.

>>Isn't that a nice idea?

>>It's awesome.

>>To share the good stuff.

>>So, what was it like to be a kid on this property?

>>I didn't think it was at all unusual.

I think it was a perfectly normal way to grow up and my parents were certainly not wealthy.

My father was a full-time professional sculptor and my mom taught high school science.

What was different in growing up and this is something I remember vividly were the guests who came to the house.

My parents had dinner parties with writers and poets and musicians and talented people.

>>I love it.

All right, what else have you got on your list?

>>If you can find something that's gonna surprise me any piece of art in this house or on the property that's gonna surprise me.

>>Maybe your dad's, maybe not?

>>Anything that's gonna make me say, "Wow."

So, that's a challenge.

>>You are really proud of your parents.

>>Yeah, with good reason.

Most accomplished artists happen to have, as a rule, pretty big egos.

So, the art comes first and then everything else comes second.

That was not the case with my father.

With my father, the four of us came first and then the art and he worked and worked and worked to give us an interesting life.

>>What would your parents be proud of you for?

>>That means talking about myself.

>>Which you don't like to do.

You literally run a museum about your parents, which means you don't wanna talk about yourself.

>>I hope they're proud of the work that we collectively, the four children, are doing to show the good work that they did, to take that work and show it off to the world.

>>So, it looks like majority of these items, we find inside any idea where I should go?

>>My dad's office, my mom's office, maybe my parents' bedroom.

>>They stored stuff everywhere.

Yeah, the artist is gonna make that decision.

All right, cool, man.

I think I got my hands full, but I think I know what to do.

>>Thanks, Matt.

(upbeat music) >>I got you guys here safe.

>>Thank you, Jaime.

>>You're welcome.

>>Thanks for driving.

>>What's up, guys?

>>What's up, what's happening?

>>There he is.

>>Welcome to the historic Stonewalls.

So, this is a big one y'all, really, really, really big one.

The client is David Hayes.

His father was David Hayes, he was a very famous sculptor.

Extremely, I think, the word prolific keeps coming up and I sent you guys a bunch of research more than I normally would.

>>I read it this time.

>>You did read, good.

All right.

Lex, you're gonna be busy, man.

That's why you're here for the whole job.

>>All right.

>>There is art everywhere, every corner of the house and everywhere you go on this property, you're gonna see it.

>>Fantastic.

>>That sounds awesome.

>>David Hayes did pass away in 2013.

How many times have you heard someone say, "Oh, my house is gonna be a museum," right?

They're actually pulling it off.

>>Awesome.

>>Cool.

>>So, it's really cool, we're gonna downsize a couple rooms in the house, the barn.

So, we definitely have our work ahead of us this week.

The legacy list is very emotional, it's things that remind them of their father and their mother.

The father was very well known, but their mother was obviously very accomplished as well.

She was a chef.

And so, there are some cookbooks that she actually wrote one and then there's some cookbooks that inspired her.

And there's some old model airplanes that are really cool.

There's an old shaving brush made of badger hair.

We're looking for a wood grouse, an old carved grouse.

So, Lex, Jaime and myself, we're gonna go to the barn.

I'll let you guys get the whole house, not just the attic and the basement.

You will get to pick those areas.

All right, you guys wanna get started?

>>Yeah.

>>See you guys in a little bit.

>>All right, good luck.

>>All right, Avi.

>>I'm thinking we work the house.

>>Absolutely.

You can say that... Oh geez!

>>Oh!

And it gets better.

David's dad was so prolific.

I mean, it felt like there was artwork on every inch of this house.

Check this table out, I am digging it.

>>Check these out.

I mean, come on.

Everywhere you look, there's something cool.

But I don't think any of these things are on the legacy list.

Now, the question is who's gonna find the most?

>>I don't even know why that's a question.

>>Divide and conquer?

>>Yep, so >>Why don't I go in here and you go check out the other office?

>>Have you seen these rooms already?

>>We're walking in together.

>>I'm just asking, I'm just asking.

All right.

>>You'd think I'd cheat ya?

Come on, man.

>>Good luck.

>>All right, no, you need the luck.

(bright music) >>So, this is the one I'm kind of excited about.

This was one of his workspaces.

>>Oh, wow.

>>Wow.

>>And we've got pretty specific things we need to do here today.

>>Wow.

>>All right.

Check this out.

>>Wow.

>>Come on in.

>>That's a lot of art.

>>I knew a little bit about David Hayes.

To see an artist's studio that really was untouched was a great opportunity to see how an artist worked and the environment that they worked in.

>>Right, what do you know about David as an artist?

>>This is his later work he worked on canvas.

And so, this is the latter part of his life.

The plaster pieces you see around, those are from, I believe, the '60s and '70s.

>>It's all in the rafters.

>>It's the small maquettes that are up there.

>>Yeah, >>I didn't even see those.

>>David has a huge task at hand to really honor his father's legacy.

I mean, it was like I was walking into his father's mind, his artistic brain.

Shelves of canvases over there.

>>Our goals are pretty clear here.

All the canvases need to go.

There's another property in this town.

It's a temperature controlled area and we're gonna take it there.

>>We're clearing this area out, but is there anything we're looking for specifically in here?

>>Yes, actually, I'm glad you asked.

I really like David because this is all about the feels for him.

He wants us to find somewhere on this property a piece of art that he doesn't know about.

He just wants to be surprised.

>>Okay.

>>Okay.

>>Well, I'm leaning heavy on you.

You got the brain on this.

So, I wanna be able to give that to him.

(bright funky music) >>Hey, Mike, do you know what a grouse looks like?

>>I think a grouse is like a big fat chicken.

>>A big fat chicken, all right.

You know if Dave played football?

>>No.

>>Dave Hayes.

It must be his grandfather.

>>Avi couldn't get to that shelf.

>>Found some fossils, man.

>>I mean, are we talking Triceratops?

>>Not Triceratops level.

>>Oh, now this is cool.

For the bride.

From Dean to Mother, 1922.

All right, these are cool.

I gotta set these aside.

Avi, I found a bird, but I don't think it's a grouse.

>>I mean, there's just so much art here.

>>It's daunting.

>>This may not be his dad's work, but I mean, it's still pretty cool.

>>Oh, clarinet, well, this is pretty cool.

>>It's overwhelming in some ways.

There have to be a hundred of these studies here.

I had no idea what I was gonna be arriving to.

Jaime, these retail for about $5000 for that size.

>>In that condition?

>>This could be cleaned up.

It looks like it's got a little bit of rust, that's inherent in steel.

So, it's gonna happen.

>>Gosh, there are just like canvases everywhere.

>>Yeah, let's get all this properly packed up.

It was a little daunting at first, but it was exciting to get into an artist studio.

It was as if he was there yesterday and we were able to walk in the day after.

All right, I'll move some of this stuff out of here, get back in there.

>>Cool.

Got that?

>>Kind of.

>>Watch out, Lex.

>>Oh, nice.

>>This project was a little bit unique.

Usually I'm in the attic or the basement, but this time, I got to be in a barn.

There was artwork everywhere.

And not just one type of artwork, there were all different types of mediums.

>>So, this would have been one that he didn't shave down.

This is how it would have started molded and then he would have taken a tool, shaved it down, smoothed it up, yeah.

So, that's kinda neat to be able to see the process.

>>It's like all the steps in his process are right here.

>>And I hope we've got some good sheets.

Some of these are quite large, like 40 by 60 inches, roughly.

>>Wow.

>>Yeah.

That's probably his largest work and it looks like they're all down here.

>>Man, there is so much to look through.

Canister of film that I don't know what it is.

Most of these books seem to be cookbooks, but I don't see the one his mom made.

Cooking, cooking, cooking.

How's it going over there, Avi?

>>Hey, Mike?

I think I found a legacy list item.

>>What'd you find?

>>I think I found our grouse.

>>Awesome.

>>Not surprisingly, his parents loved to collect unique antiques.

(bright country music) >>Oh, wow, that's cool.

Man, I'm finding all these really old cookbooks and recipe books.

Oh, Avi.

Avi, I think I've got something here, buddy.

"French Cooking For People Who Can't", by Julia Hayes.

He's gonna love that we found this.

Most of this property is related to David's dad.

So, I was really excited to look for something that represented his mother.

Lo and behold, there it is.

(bright country music) >>This is definitely the tool section.

Some of his tools are over here too.

>>Oh, neat.

So, these would have been probably some of his quick sketches.

And actually, I know where that work is, that's very close to that form.

So, this will be nice to show them and to go into the archive.

>>All right, so we found a lot of really great stuff in here.

>>Oh, this is cool.

>>Wait a second, there's more great stuff.

>>Yeah, okay.

>>Got it?

>>Yeah.

This is kinda a cool last thing to find.

So, these are some of his carving tools, which is pretty neat.

He valued these probably very much 'cause this was his daily working tools and artists tend to have a favorite tool and he's got his name on this one.

Yeah, we definitely should pull this out.

So, let's put that aside.

>>Okay.

(bright music) >>What's the painter without a brush, or a sculptor without a chisel?

Since antiquity, the best friends of an artist are their tools.

Ancient Egyptians used the crushed ends of reeds as brushes and the Chinese General Meng Tian makes calligraphy brushes from rabbit hair around 200 BC.

Before the invention of the paintbrush, Stone Age artists at Lascaux Cave in present day France use pads of moss or hair to spread color.

They also used a prehistoric spray painting technique, blowing paint through hollow bones or reeds to fill out the form of this horse.

One tool completely changed art history.

In the early 19th century, oil paint was not easy to work with.

In 1841, American painter, John G. Rand, has a better idea, pack paint in a tin tube.

Suddenly, the budding impressionists can take their oils and easel into the field and finish paintings on the street, by the water or in the park.

Today, the finest art tools are still made by hand.

The Kolinsky Series 7 Sable watercolor brush in the largest size takes a master craftsperson over a week to make.

Made with prized Siberian weasel hair, it'll run you over $400.

Pick one up today and start painting your masterpiece.

(bright music) >>Really good artists, they like to trade their art to each other.

I'm really glad we had Lex here, not because of David Hayes' art, but because we had no idea some of the art that we were gonna find.

I asked you to kinda walk the house and just pick around 'cause I know there's a lot of just more art than I'm used to.

>>I'ma show you what I found.

>>Okay, good.

>>So, what I first wanted to show you, this is pretty neat.

So, this is- >>A robot.

>>It does look like a robot.

I didn't know he didn't assemblages for found objects.

So, that means he would see everything as art.

I mean, he might see a nail on the ground and be like, "All right, I think I'll use this hinge and then I'll weld a little human figure."

>>Upcycling would be the new term, I hear it all the time.

>>Right, right, right, right.

So, I'll bring you right over here.

This is kind of exciting.

David had said it's a Picasso.

>>Actual Picasso.

>>An actual Picasso.

Now, it's not signed, we haven't taken it out of the frame.

Now, could there be a signature on there?

It's possible, but just knowing the artist and who is working with and certainly was of the era, it's possible.

I mean, I would never say it's not without a signature and without a photograph of them handing it, we're not sure.

So, is it a Picasso?

Hmm, it very well could be, we would just have to research it.

But if you look at it, it relates a lot to his sculpture.

It has the vegetal forms or leaves.

And then, you see that in a lot of his way out in the field.

And this relates kind of to his own work.

>>This is huge.

I mean, I'm holding an actual Picasso.

This is a "Legacy List's" first.

>>If it's a Picasso.

(bright music) >>Up we go.

Oh.

I mean, there is some art, but you can tell there's like other things in here to look at too.

>>Absolutely.

>>All right, let's dig in, see what we find.

>>All right.

>>He even made the lamps.

>>Did he really?

>>Yeah.

>>He made this?

>>Yes.

>>Wow.

>>How about this?

>>Okay, can you hold this for me?

>>Beautiful, but it's tools.

>>It is tools.

>>Let's see what these are.

>>Oh, Jaime, come on.

You gotta see this.

>>All right, all right.

>>I'm digging through the closet and out of the corner of my eye, I see this really cool work shirt.

I didn't know how it tied into the family.

>>Look at that.

>>But it was still a really cool piece of vintage clothing.

Here we go.

How about that?

>>That's cool.

>>Moriarty Bros. And it says, Lincoln Mercury.

So, that's what it was.

>>Yeah.

>>An auto dealership.

So, these were the work shirts of the day.

>>They're classic old shirts.

Great condition.

Yeah, they're awesome.

I mean, I would wear that today.

>>It just shows the character of the business.

>>Yeah, I'd be curious to find out why they've held on to them for this long.

While we know David's father as an artist, it's these personal things that we were finding that really were gonna mean the most to David.

Oh, here's some shaving cream.

I might have the shaving brush.

It is a shaving brush, I'm not sure if it's the one we're looking for, but there's shaving cream with it and then this brush.

>>Okay.

>>I mean, you're the expert.

Do you use something like this nowadays?

>>I have.

>>Okay.

>>Definitely badger hair, 100%.

Yeah, there's this whole renaissance of grooming facial hair.

So, stuff that's 50, 60, 70 years old is pretty sought after.

>>Yeah.

I found a lot of interesting things before, but this is the first time that I found a badger hair shaving brush.

>>We are halfway through.

Enjoy the sculpture garden 'cause we never get to do that.

>>This is beautiful.

>>It is kinda cool.

Inside, what have you guys found?

>>Well, I found a grouse.

>>You found the wooden grouse.

>>The wooden grouse.

It's wood-carved, probably over 100 years old.

Pretty cool find.

>>All right, anybody else find anything?

>>I found the cookbook.

>>You found the cookbook?

>>Yeah.

>>We're surrounded by very valuable, very expensive art.

Lex, you taught me a lot about his different phases.

>>Right.

>>He did do a lot of mediums, but it also coincided with raising his kids.

>>Sure, sure.

>>I mean, the nice or the most amazing stuff was before the kids were born.

>>Well, that's the ones that appeal to you, for sure.

And that's from the '50s.

So, they're the more figurative, more representational.

So, you can see each period and watch the progression, but they all kind of move forward to abstraction.

Holding on to, as I said, nature forms, they're not pure abstraction.

>>David just keeps talking about how involved his dad was in raising them.

>>Right.

>>Yeah, it reminds you of what's really important.

All the time that he spent creating his sculptures and the value in these sculptures and how the outside world might I see the value in his dad, but yet, he's looking for a brush and a grouse and cookbooks.

>>They're not very valuable items, there's just a sentimental attachment to them, that's important.

The memories that they have with those items, >>I think it's really cool.

>>We found this in the barn.

>>Thank you.

>>God.

>>This, check this out, this is all his old wood tools.

>>That one in your hand actually has his name carved in it.

>>Yeah.

Look at that.

>>Wow.

>>Yeah.

>>Look at that, he put his name on everything.

Well, I wanted you guys to relax just for a few minutes 'cause we actually have a lot more work to do.

Still need to find the model airplane.

I'm guessing that's upstairs somewhere.

And I still need you to find some type of really cool art.

>>Okay, well, I think I may have found something interesting.

>>Okay all right and then, Mike, we've gotta really hustle.

>>Mike is always in charge of the move, but this one was really different.

I mean, just to have so much art and they're all one of a kind.

When you're working with this much art, a 99 is an F. Do you need us to kinda help?

>>If I said yes, would you help?

>>We're not going to, I'm just kidding.

(they all laugh) All right, good, thanks, there you go.

All right, let's do it.

I'll see you guys in a little bit.

>>Thank you (bright upbeat music) (truck beeping) >>This is not an easy move for Mike and his team.

>>The barn itself was pretty special and pretty dangerous because as soon as you walked in, there was some pretty sketchy floor.

So, we had to work around this hazard.

[Matt] We have so much potentially valuable artwork that we have to be really careful and then wrap as much as we can.

>>There was metal sculptures, foam sculptures, there was canvases, art that was in progress, art that was finished.

It was a lot.

>>As I was cleaning out the main bedroom, I noticed by the fireplace, there was kind of a secret door.

Hey, Avi.

>>What's up?

>>Come here.

>>Find something?

What you get?

>>I think maybe.

You know the family folklore of possibly this being on the route of the Underground Railroad, I'm thinking this might be it.

This might be one of the spots.

>>You know, from a location standpoint, we're really close to the Connecticut Freedom Trail.

>>I mean, it's made to look like the bookshelf.

>>Yeah, which I noticed as I walked in.

One of the recognized historical sites is in Tolland, Connecticut, which is probably about a six or seven-hour walk.

I mean, imagine this might be a stop in between here and there.

I knew that this part of Connecticut played a significant role in enslaved people trying to get to Canada.

We've probably got a room behind this wall here and we need to get in there and see what's going on.

>>All right, let's get in there.

>>I mean, can I get in there?

(junk rattles) >>What do you see back there?

>>Oh, man.

>>Is there space?

>>Yeah, there's some room in here.

>>Really?

>>Yeah, a small family could definitely spend some time back here.

>>They would hide here.

>>I mean, Connecticut was one of those states where a slave could run to, but if their owner chased them down, they could take them back South.

>>So, if they came here and their owner got them- >>They had to go back, yeah.

You could tell no one had been in the space for a long time, but standing in this room and actually being in that space, it really hit home.

>>How are you feeling right now?

>>It's a pretty solemn moment actually.

After I entered the space, I began to realize what it must have been like to be an enslaved person hiding out there.

I mean, this could really be a possible Underground Railroad stop.

It's always hard to tell though, because it was underground for a reason.

So, you didn't really know exactly what houses were and weren't >>That's why it's not documented.

>>Exactly, exactly.

>>'Cause you didn't want people to know where it was.

(gentle pensive music) >>Travel at night and follow the North Star, rules to live by if you're an enslaved person trying to avoid capture.

The journey north is dangerous, but worth the risk.

At the end of the line, freedom awaits.

By the mid 1800s, there are over three million enslaved people in the American South.

The country's cotton empire is built by their forced labor.

But many enslaved people flee their bondage, hoping to make it to free states up north.

With bounty hunters in hot pursuit, they need all the help they can get to make it there.

The Underground Railroad provides that assistance.

Started in the early 1800s, it's a loose network of Black activists with help from White abolitionists and Quakers who shelter, protect and guide those who were on the run.

They offer up safe houses, often designated by a lantern in the window where runaways can get food and shelter for the night.

Sometimes, fugitives are forced to hide in attics, basements and even secret rooms to avoid being caught.

The journey north can take several weeks and cover hundreds of miles.

And even if they make it to a state where slavery is abolished, they can still be captured and returned to their owner.

But despite the dangers, the railroad remains busy.

Harriet Tubman, who herself escaped the bondage, makes 20 trips back to Maryland to guide family and friends to safety.

No one knows exactly how many escape, some estimate between 25 and 40,000 enslaved people make their way north to freedom, thanks to the Underground Railroad.

(gentle pensive music) >>The location of this house and the land's proximity to water 'cause you could run the creek the whole way.

There's actually a local historian that I'm gonna go meet with.

I'm gonna try to find out what else I can find out about this.

Safely.

And I'm gonna go meet the town historian and see what I can find out.

>>Cool.

Sounds good.

Man.

(junk rattles) Whoo!

>>That's something else.

(bright music) >>Here we are, we're up against the wall.

We've only got a couple days and it was a tough job.

I mean, we really had to hustle and I had to light a fire under my guys.

(bright music) (bright gentle music) >>I always like to find out a little more history about the town and the family.

We found out this town was absolutely a stop on the Underground Railroad and there were many houses throughout the town where people could hide.

So, I went down to the Nathan Hale Museum to talk to the local town manager to learn more.

[Matt] John, thanks for meeting me here today.

You are the town manager of Coventry.

It's a beautiful town and we've just stumbled upon a lot of history and I wanna know more about this area.

>>We go back into the colonial times.

This is the Hale homestead.

So, Nathan Hale was raised here.

And Nathan Hale went to Yale, became a school teacher and actually taught women, which was very innovative at the time.

And then he felt a call to service to the country joining General Washington and went up to Boston and was recruited to become the nation's first spy.

>>Nathan Hale, school teacher, patriot, spy.

With the outbreak of the American Revolution, people are forced to choose a side.

Do you stand with the cane, an ocean away, or fight for the promise of independence?

Nathan Hale picks revolution and at the age of 21, joins the Continental Army's first spy ring.

When George Washington needs information, Hale volunteers to go undercover and report on the movements of British troops in New York.

He knows the risk.

If caught, he will certainly be put to death.

Disguised as a Dutch school teacher, Hale is stopped by the British who find him carrying incriminating papers.

On September 22nd, 1776, the British hang Nathan Hale without trial.

He reportedly declares these famous last words, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."

His sacrifice inspires other patriots who eventually defeat the British.

Hale may have been one of America's first spies, but he certainly isn't the last.

During the Civil War, both the north and the south employ a complex network of spies.

One of the most famous is Washington DC's socialite, Wild Rose Greenhow, who throws lavish parties for union generals and then passes along what she overhears to Confederate operatives.

Today, much of the spy game has gone high tech.

Satellites circle the globe, cell phone signals are monitored and the internet combed for intelligence.

These measures may or may not help us sleep at night, but let's not forget the spies of yesteryear who gathered information the old fashioned way.

Dinner parties, disguises and nerves of steel.

(bright music) >>We just love it here, we've fallen in love with the town and we've just learned so much in the end.

I think anecdotal history is the best way to say it.

We actually think we found part of the Underground Railroad.

Do you think that's possible?

>>It is possible.

The town of Coventry, as a lot of New England, were really the hotbeds of congregational churches and the congregational churches were very much abolitionists and were against slavery.

We have some anecdotal evidence of safe houses for the Underground Railroad, the houses and the secret rooms.

But we believe that there's that heritage and Stonewalls house could certainly be part of that because the family that lived there were congregationalists.

>>As I've been on the Hayes property, it seems like a potential unknown destination.

>>Until you walk through the fields and see the metal sculptures, it becomes an emotional experience, you have to experience yourself.

>>How much of that story does the city even know?

>>David Hayes, the sculptor, was a very private person Now working with his children, we're enthusiastic about building a new relationship and opening up and sharing that story.

Interesting story about the house, we talked about Nathan Hale.

The other part of town, we have a Nathan Hale monument.

And the person that helped fund and raise money for that monument actually lived in that house.

>>Really, small town, man, everything's connected.

>>So, we're all excited about learning more about both the house and sharing the Hayes family story.

There's a lot to learn and explore in our community and we welcome everyone to come.

(bright music) >>David asked to find a piece of artwork that he didn't know anything about, which is usually a daunting task when you have the son of an artist.

And I went up and down at least three or four times.

I saw a lot of interesting things, a lot of his father's work.

And then on the third pass by, I found something that I knew David was gonna get excited about.

>>The upstairs of the house is just packed full of stuff.

On one side, you have an attic, where there are just boxes that probably haven't been looked at in decades.

And on the other side, you have rooms that are just chock full of more art.

>>All right, so this is the lower attic, I believe.

>>Yes.

Now, you're stepping into my world.

>>I know, it has been a long time.

>>So, one of the items that we were looking for was a model airplane and I had a good feeling that it might be in the attic.

All right.

>>I can feel the heat already.

>>It's been a minute since you've been in an attic.

I can imagine.

>>Man, it's been a long time since I've been in an attic, yeah.

>>So, just be mindful of the nails coming through.

>>These are old Christmas tree ornaments with mouse poop.

>>I have that exact one.

>>You know what, other than a little art, all these canvases, it is a regular attic.

>>Yeah.

>>I see the Christmas stuff, I see little books.

I don't even know where to start over here.

>>I found their manger scene.

>>Look at that.

>>Yup.

>>These are old glass ornaments.

>>Those are beautiful.

>>Yeah.

(playful music) (upbeat music) >>When a property is this packed, it's almost impossible to estimate how much time you're really gonna need.

We had to make up for a lot of time to get the project done.

There's times when you have to go to another gear and this was one of those times.

(upbeat music) (bright music) >>Are you sweating yet?

>>Yeah.

And then, in the middle of something, you find, look at this.

Only in David's house do you find a statue.

>>Yeah.

Oh.

Look at that.

>>Hey, look at that.

>>You wanna grab it?

>>Yeah.

Oh my gosh.

Look at this.

Okay, this is exactly what he described.

>>Wow.

This is unreal, it's like wood and- >>Wood and it's paper.

This is really cool.

I don't know if you see that with a wire.

Great find, good job.

>>That's why you always send me up into the attic.

>>That is why you're here.

[Matt] With the last legacy list item found, it was finally time for us to show David all the work we had done.

All right, Dave, so we've been here for a couple days.

We worked really hard, specifically here in the barn.

>>I can't wait to see this, Matt.

>>But it was still a downsize.

The last time you saw in here, there were hundreds of canvases just everywhere.

>>I've lived with them.

>>Hopefully you're gonna be excited with what you see All right, let's do this.

>>Whoa!

>>What do you think, man?

>>Wow!

Look at this!

Matt, what have you guys done?

>>We hustle, man.

We took a ton of art out of here.

(upbeat music) >>This is just fantastic.

>>Now, it's just a start.

We actually didn't throw anything away, we just reorganized.

>>Boy, oh, boy, this is absolutely extraordinary.

And you're doing a whole lot of good for the foundation.

This means that protect, preserve the work, catalog it, get a documented, get it photographed, we could do some structural repairs to the ground.

This is absolutely remarkable.

>>It's a start.

I think he was, one, excited and two, relieved that we got all this stuff out of the barn.

>>Nice work.

>>All right, let's go in and see the house and see what else we got.

>>Really excited, let's see.

(laughs) Oh, man.

>>Whose room was this?

>>This was always a place where my father just kind of flopped down his works on paper.

It's been storage since we moved in here and the problem is that the art was damaging itself because of so much weight.

>>Basically, your house got a haircut.

>>Yeah, yeah, more than a haircut.

>>David was thrilled because we also cleaned out the foyer and he can finally see the wallpaper again.

>>Thank you, man, thank you.

>>Good, all right, now, it's time for my favorite part.

We're gonna go back downstairs and we're gonna go through the legacy list and I think it's only fitting that we go sit amongst all your dad's sculptures in one of the fields.

>>Wouldn't that'd be great.

>>All right, let's go do it.

(bright music) [Matt] David, here we are, man, chilling in the field.

>>Back in the fields.

>>I love it.

It kind of just does feel fitting to be out here.

>>It's appropriate.

>>Yeah.

Well, let's look in and see what we learn here.

The very first item was a model airplane.

>>You found it.

>>We did find it.

>>Yeah.

>>How old do you think your dad was when he made this?

>>12 or 13, he was a kid.

This is all balsa wood with textile over it.

Now, this was pre-radio era, pre-servos.

>>The strings are there and this was really interesting.

>>Here's how it worked.

That's how the plane went up and down by moving the wires up and down.

We never got it working.

>>You tell a 12-year old boy to make an airplane.

Most of them are gonna grab some paper and fold it.

Not your dad, he was working with steel, right?

Putting together mechanisms.

>>He would have made this in the mid 1930s.

So, this has been around for a while.

>>What I think is interesting here is this sets the precedent of your dad's brain.

>>This is great (laughs).

>>I love it.

>>This is great.

>>Second item, when you said it to me, I was like this, ah.

This one, I get.

>>Oh, look at that.

Look at that, man.

>>The badger hair shaving brush.

>>He probably would have used this in the Navy.

Every morning, this is what he used.

This brings back a lot of memories from my childhood.

This is significant.

>>We're surrounded by just massive structures all over this property, but it's the little things.

>>This is really symbolic.

This is a tangible memory of my father.

So, thank you.

>>All right.

This is your carved wooden grouse.

Tell me about this.

>>So, my parents loved to go antiquing, but I grew up with this.

I remember seen this when I was a kid.

It's got glass eyes.

So, it's clearly hand-carved and hand-painted.

And they would have picked it up on one of their excursions to Vermont is I guess.

Look at this guy.

Look at this guy.

Isn't he beautiful?

>>Yeah, what do you think your dad liked about it?

>>Probably the natural form.

It's craft, but I think it's well-made craft.

He appreciated quality-made things.

>>We talk a lot about your dad.

>>Yeah.

>>But the old adage of behind every great man is a great woman, I think that is very true here.

>>She kept the family in line.

and she more importantly kept my dad in line.

I'll tell you a story.

My father was not allowed anywhere near the checkbook.

My mom ran everything.

She ran the family finances and everything.

And my mother had a story of her own.

She had a significant story of her own.

She taught high school science for three decades.

She raised the four of us for the first 10 years in a foreign country and she had this published in the early '70s.

>>I mean, she made a book, this is her name on there.

>>That's correct and she tested the recipes on us when we were little kids.

>>And I love the title, "French Cooking For People Who Can't".

I love that, I found this other book.

This is a really interesting book.

>>I have not seen this.

>>Two things with this.

Everywhere you look on your mom's cookbooks, she has filled every blank page- [David] oh, that's her writing that's her writing.

>>Is that here handwriting?

>>Yeah, that's her writing.

>>But she's filled all the empty space with other recipes.

I love when I find writing from people that I love that are no longer with us.

So, this is a moment in time with your mom and I just love that.

>>This is wonderful, Matt, this is wonderful.

>>I love this stuff.

>>This is absolutely touching.

>>The next one was a really big challenge and the last challenge was art So, we found this.

I think you know what it is.

This is a Picasso.

>>Yeah, well, yes, it is.

>>This isn't like Alfred Picasso, his brother.

I wanna thank you for this opportunity, all right?

It's really amazing.

This is spectacular.

>>Thank you.

>>Until- >>Uh-oh.

>>Until we found this.

>>Ooh.

>>Now, I don't know if you know this was in the house or not.

It was in the attic.

>>It's the first time I'm seeing this.

>>It is a limited edition print.

>>I see the number, right.

I've seen this signature before, I can't tell you who it is.

>>This an original Salvador Dali.

>>Oh, is it really?

Wow!

>>And there's another one, I've got two.

>>I see the motif here.

>>Not every Dali is insanely expensive, but this is still a Salvador Dali.

>>That's a surprise.

>>And we had another.

>>Ooh, what have you got there, Matt?

>>Here we are, yet again.

>>Oh, man.

[Matt] This is another Dali.

>>Yeah and this is probably Arches paper, it feels like Arches paper.

Wow.

Knowing my father, he may have bought this at a benefit auction 'cause he would do that kind of thing.

>>This is awesome.

>>Yeah, I'm impressed.

I'm impressed and this is a typical theme for Dali.

>>Lex geeked out on this.

>>Oh, was he really?

>>Yeah and I think your dad is probably the only guy that's just gonna have some Salvador Dali up in the attic.

>>So, these were up in the attic.

>>Yeah, yeah >>Wow.

>>So, this is a known piece.

It's called the "Butterfly Bullfighter".

>>I was not aware of that.

>>I don't think it's a stretch.

>>I asked you to find something that would surprise me and I'm impressed.

(laughing) Oh, wow, wow.

>>So, I wanna talk about folklores, I wanna talk about stories because this is interesting with your family.

We found what we have been told was possibly an entrance to the Underground Railroad.

>>Right.

>>Right?

>>Yeah.

>>I was able to talk to some historians today and it's absolutely possible.

It's right on the way to Canada and there's definitely houses in this town that were on the road.

So, it's very, very possible.

>>The story has been passed along from one order to the next.

>>I hear a lot of tales in my job.

Usually, there's years off, right?

It's not even mathematically possible.

Everything adds up on the Picasso, everything adds up on these, everything adds up on the house probably being a stop on the Underground Railroad.

The next one is not a Dali, all right?

It's not a Picasso, it's not a Hayes.

It's always fun for me to find an item that is not on the legacy list and that usually brings the most emotion and we found this shirt from David's grandfather's auto shop.

This was in one of your dad's workshops.

And that is what hit David.

>>You found this, wow.

Wow.

Boy, oh, boy, give me a minute.

Give me a minute.

And do you mind if I look at this?

>>It's yours, dude.

>>This just... Man.

So, my parents met in high school.

And Matt Moriarty was my mother's father.

And I know for a fact that my dad worked at Moriarty Brothers, so he would have worked there probably in the summertime.

It's the first time I've seen this.

I didn't know this existed.

This gets me here because this was when my parents would have been dating.

They married off to college, but they started dating in high school.

So, (laughs) oh, (laughs) wow.

Nicely done, Matt.

>>This was my favorite piece, man.

>>Really?

Great.

>>Your dad wore this before he was all this.

>>Yeah, exactly in high school, in high school.

>>I was pretty sure you hadn't found this.

Don't put this in the foundation collection, put this in your collection.

This was a shirt from way before all the art, way before his dad got famous.

So, it's just a shirt that he wore when he worked at a place right before he started dating his mom.

It's a really, really cool item.

I look forward to having to call you in 10 years and say, "Hey, man, remember me?

Can you get me tickets 'cause these tickets are really hard to get," all right?

I look forward to the day where I have to drop my name to get free tickets to walk this.

>>Matt, this has been a blessing.

This is just a blessing.

>>Thank you for sharing it all with me, I just really appreciate it.

>>And you've got our gratitude.

It's been a real treat to work with you.

Thank you, Matt.

>>Thank you.

(bright music) >>I can only imagine how daunting the task must have been for David to have to compile all of this father's works.

Here we were in this house with all of its history and all of David's work.

It was extremely satisfying to help them turn his work into a living, breathing outdoor museum.

>>As children, when our parents pass away, we really want to remember them.

We don't wanna forget and we wanna share that memory with other people.

>>I think we helped David get on the road to realizing his dreams.

>>Now, he can continue cataloging and preserving and presenting this art for everyone to enjoy.

>>His dad's artwork will provide for many, many generations to come and that is a good legacy.

(bright music) >>[Female Announcer] Support for Legacy List comes from MakeSpace.

MakeSpace picks up, stores and return your items on demand.

Available for home or business.

MakeSpace provides professional movers, plus bins, blankets and a digital photo inventory.

You can find us at makespace.com.

And by ensure long-term care where we believe aging at home near friends and family is ever more possible for more people.

Learn more at insureltc.com.

AARP Virginia offering family caregiving support with prepare to care and down sizing and decluttering on line workshops designed to help organize and assess family needs Find the complete online workshop schedule At AARP.org/virtual VA The Ruth Camp Campbell Foundation (bright lifting 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 (bright lifting music)