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Working to Preserve "Heirs' Property" in the Lowcountry

"Testament. My last wish..."
Kai Stachowiak/Pixabay [CC0 1.0]

Heirs' property is often land that has been passed down through generations without the benefit of a will so that the land is owned "in common" by all of the heirs, whether or not they live on the land, pay the taxes, or have set foot on the land. 

This unstable form of ownership puts heirs' property at high risk for loss because any heir can sell his/her percentage of ownership to another who can then force a sale of the entire property. The Center for Heirs' Property Preservation's Executive Director, Dr. Jennie L. Stephens, and Center client Marguirite DeLaine join Walter Edgar in conversation about the challenges heirs' property presents to its owners, and the help the center offers.

All Stations: Fri, June 16, 12 pm | News Stations: Sun, June 18, 4 pm

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Dr. Walter Edgar has two programs on South Carolina Public Radio: Walter Edgar's Journal, and South Carolina from A to Z. Dr. Edgar received his B.A. degree from Davidson College in 1965 and his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1969. After two years in the army (including a tour of duty in Vietnam), he returned to USC as a post-doctoral fellow of the National Archives, assigned to the Papers of Henry Laurens.