Property Dispute Leaves 3 Dead, 1 Injured and 2 In Prison, Maybe For Life

[lilranch2001]

We have 7 neighbors where we live now in an older neighborhood in the county, and pretty much everyone gets along very well. We all stop and talk fairly often. In the city, we were much closer, with only 10' setbacks between houses. Got along with everyone there as well.

Our property further out in the county has ZERO houses within a mile east, west, and south. The only other humans are 1 house across the highway. I've seen them once since 1989.

And your point is?

 

[ovrszd]

I guess I am different from you, I see, and interact with my country neighbors a lot, but then I tend to get along with people well……

Over a 3 day span I will meet on the road and wave at all of my country neighbors within 2 miles. At least once a week I'll speak to all of them. I have a good relationship with them. Even the one who tried to fence off part of my farm......

 

[sandman2234]

There is a 50 acre tract of land on the St. John's river in Astor, Florida that is landlocked. The previous owner that I knew, was bugged by a guy who wanted it, and he finally sold the 50 acres to him with no land access. He said he didn't need land access, just boat access so the owner wrote that into the contract that land access was known not to exist, and the buyer was fully aware of it. The owner of the front property passed away, and his heirs were approached with "we need land access" but were turned down. They apparently wanted to develop that 50 acres and were looking for a way in. They didn't get it.
Fast forward to today, I looked and while the home and buildings still exist on the roadway, the 50 acres is wooded land with nothing on it. Due to the original deed language, I doubt any judge would give access across the front tract of land, but there is an alternative route crossing a couple of other properties coming in along the river.
Times change as people die and properties change hands, but I always thought the smartest thing the owner (or his heirs) of the 50 acres could do, would be to purchase the road frontage property when it came up for sale. The road property came up for sale a few years ago, but after 30 years of being in front of the landlocked property. Not sure what has happened since because the owner of the front property was a friend and he passed away.
David from jax

 

[2LaneCruzer]

A co-worker of mine told me he bought a small acreage in rural Kentucky. He later had it surveyed, just so he would know for sure where his property lines were. Turns out, his neighbor was farming part of it, like an acre or so. He spoke to his neighbor about it, and his neighbor told him something to the effect:

"My family has been farming that area since the Civil War". He told me he never brought it up again.

 

[ovrszd]

A co-worker of mine told me he bought a small acreage in rural Kentucky. He later had it surveyed, just so he would know for sure where his property lines were. Turns out, his neighbor was farming part of it, like an acre or so. He spoke to his neighbor about it, and his neighbor told him something to the effect:

"My family has been farming that area since the Civil War". He told me he never brought it up again.

I have a similar situation. A creek cuts off a corner of my farm. 1/2 acre is on the opposite side of the creek. My neighbor farms it. We've never spoken about it. Him and I are good friends. Not worth discussing.

 

[Jstpssng]

We managed a tract of land which had a 1acre triangular corner landlocked when the interstate went through. I found the lines, but the landowner had no legal access.
Another tract, 1/2 mile by 1/2 mile lost it's access over a century ago when somebody apparently squatted on 20 acres. There is a provision in Maine that if you sell a portion of your land without making provisions for access, it's assumed that it's available.

Both of these were later sold.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Yeah, my Granddad lost about 5 acres in N.E. Oklahoma to squatters. This was back in the 50's; it was land that he bought in the early 40's, and I don't think he ever set foot on it. He bought it about the time they built the Grand Lake of the Cherokees, and lived in Western Oklahoma at the time.

 

[Joel/ak]

Our neighbors to the west have a 26 acre parcel. Landlocked except for using the powerline trail or paddling down a creek. They are a mile off the road. Usually they take the powerlines, when wet, this corridor has killed many of vehicles . Our road parallels the powerlines. I gave them a key to our gate to use if conditions are bad. They don't abuse it.

I try to be a good neighbor.

 

[ultrarunner]

When you have property in the same family since the 1860's and everything around gets developed some interesting things are bound to happen...

Such as owning to the middle of a highway and there is no easement granted or on file as the highway followed a path to 3 farms...

In the late 1890's the farm my brother bought deeded 1 acre to the county for a one room school house and for decades it was used as a school and for years later 4H and similar.

The county decided it no longer needed the land and demolished the building prepping to sell...

The 92 year old third generation farming spoke up and said the property isn't the county's to sell as the deed said if the property ever ceases to be used as a school... the property reverts back to the farm and so it did... but I wonder what would have happened had the 92 year old not spoken up?

Just like the farm today has water rights deep into what us now parkland... and that water is deeded and must be maintained by the park which is always an issue decades later... until whomever new is in charge is brought up to speed...

Park even put a meter in but the deed calls for a minimum delivery which is much different than a maximum limit...

 

[paulsharvey]

You also get some bad info passed down the generations. Coworker was dealing with a lady who was mad as heck about a gas main going in on 'her property'. He pulled Right of Way maps, and 100% it was well of the right of way, by several feet. "I own the that tree, my granddad planted it in the 40s, and it's right on the property line". Well... couple things, maybe granddad didn't know what he was talking about (it's hard to tell people that, they don't want to listen, they feel it's a personal attack at that point), or maybe the story got confused through the generations. Anyways, they had to get cops out there, and basically tell her to quit harassing the workers, or she would be removed.

They found her property corner, which matched the Right of Way map, tried to show/explain to her; and I think she paid a surveyor her self, who confirmed it wasn't hers.