A South Carolina family has reached a settlement after countersuing a real estate developer to keep land they’ve owned since after the Civil War, according to reports.
The family’s matriarch, Josephine Wright, lived on the property for at least 30 years, many of which were spent with her husband, attorney Samuel Wright, until he died in 1998.
Wright herself died in January at 94 years old, but not before putting up a fight to ensure that children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and more could continue to gather and celebrate on their family’s land.
The property was a staple in her late husband’s family since the end of the Civil War. An enslaved person who had been freed purchased the property, according to South Carolina Public Radio.
The battle for the land began when developer Bailey Point Investment, LLC acquired land surrounding Wright’s 1.8-acre property in 2014.
The company is developing a 147-home subdivision in the area and at some point offered to buy Wright’s property for $39,000, she previously told USA TODAY.
Bailey Point Investment kicked off their developments in 2022 and worked both around and on her property, Wright previously told USA TODAY.
They cut down trees and their work caused dust to cover her car and house. She also noted that someone flattened her tires and a snake was hanging in a window.
Homeowner said developer used ‘tactics of intimidation’ to get her to sell
In February 2023, Bailey Point Investment sued Wright and argued that…
