12 Resilient Underdogs Who Refused To Be Forced Out Of Their Homes

1. Developers offered 84-year-old Edith Macefield $1 million to develop a shopping center where her house stood. Remaining a holdout until the very end, she became friends with the construction chief of the project and even willed the house to him. Many b

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Facebook / Ashworth College Fan Page

Everyone loves a good underdog story, be that the American "Miracle" Olympic hockey team versus the old Soviet Union's, David versus Goliath, or the 99% versus the wealthy investment bankers of Wall Street. Everyone loves to see the little guy take on impossible odds and end up winning.

In the photos below you'll see some people who tried their best to "stick it to the man," sometimes winning, sometimes not. Either way, you have to respect them for at least trying. With the fear of our Government abusing Eminent Domain, its stories like these that make us think that there is hope for the underdog!

While living in America certainly comes with benefits, it seems like the up and coming economy of China is forcing a lot of homeowners out of homes that have been in their families for generations. These houses are called "Nail Houses," because they stick out like a nail.

Although the famous proverb teaches us that, "The nail that sticks out gets beaten down," it seems that's not always the case — at least not if  these people have anything to say about it!

What would you do if the government tried to take your home to build a pharmacy like CVS or Walgreens, or if Uncle Sam tried to force you out for a Best Buy, Target, or Walmart? Let us know in the comments below!

 

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Facebook / Casa Mais: tudo sobre morar bem.
  1. Back in 2006, Austin Spriggs was offered more than $3 million for his Washington, D.C. office, which was in the center of a red-hot block of the downtown area. He held out the million dollar offers until the real estate bubble burst. The offers stopped coming through, and Spriggs attempted to turn the building into a pizza restaurant which has since been unsuccessful.
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Facebook / The Gary Kent Team
  1. Another highway holdout in Wenling, China. This five story house was one of the last nails in an eminent domain battle to remain fighting! It took a lot of offers, but this house was finally demolished in 2012 after the owners were given around $50,000.
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Youtube / Newsy
  1. Homeowner Ishmael Bermudez says that $1.8 million is not enough for his Miami property. After years of painstaking excavation, he says he's found countless priceless native American artifacts on his land. As hotels get higher and higher all around him, he continues to hold out for the sake of history.
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Facebook / АрхиТэк
  1. This house was left on its own isolated island of dirt. The couple who owned the house, both in their 60s, have been living without water or electricity since 2009, when the developer started to build the huge building next door. Facing threats from gangsters to leave their property while simultaneously trying to fend off illegal attempts to destroy their home has left the poor couple without many options.

6. This tiny portion of the block was bought in order to stop Macy's from becoming the "Biggest store in the world." Macy's still doesn't own the small property, but built around it, and even has its famous sign right above the small building.

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Wikipedia

7. This broken-looking home sits right outside of a brand new business center in Changsha, China. Surrounded by modern day stores, McDonald's and restaurants, these holdouts refuse to leave their homes!

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Facebook / Man On The Lam

8. This three-story house sits right in the middle of a highway in Luoyang, China. This holdout refused to leave his home to make way for the planned construction of a highway.

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Facebook / BBC News Magazine

9. The 900-year-old village of Yangji was demolished to make way for new high-rise buildings. A few holdouts made a valiant effort to keep their homes, but eventually they were all forced out to make way for a "new community."

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Facebook / Civil Engineering Discoveries

10. The homeowners of this house in China were so stubborn that they managed to "win" against the developers. With a slight change of plans, the road was made to encircle the house, giving the owners a beautiful 360-degree view!

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Facebook / China Daily USA
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Facebook / Newman Tours
  1. This is one of the most famous Chinese nail houses so far. Mrs. Wu Ping exhausted developers by refusing to vacate her property for three years. In addition to this home, 240 other properties had sold to make way for a new shopping center; they finally offered her $160,000, which she promptly took and left.

12. Spiegelhalters jewelry remains one of the most inspiring acts of defiance of all time. In the early 1900s a wealthy family wanted to build a department store in London's East End. Wickhams, the huge department store, was eventually built into two sect

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Wikipedia

Please share these incredible acts of defiance with your friends!