One woman turned down a $1,000,000 offer for her Seattle home and over a decade after her death, her home still sits surrounded by business buildings.

Get our free mobile app

Edith Macefield is a modern-day folk legend, having resisted the pressures of the outside world to leave her home, and withstood the literal outside noise of construction around her house. If this sounds like the plot of Pixar's hit classic movie Up, some people believe Edith's battle was the inspiration for the film. Even if it wasn't, the home quickly became associated with the film, with people tying balloons to the house's fence in solidarity.

Google Street View
Google Street View
loading...

Two years before she died, Edith was presented with a $1,000,000 offer to sell her house so contractors could build commercial buildings on her lot. She refused, saying, “I don’t want to move. I don’t need the money; money doesn’t mean anything;” and that was all there was to it. In the midst of noisy construction, Edith stood her ground. She said at the time, according to her obituary in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, "I went through World War II, the noise doesn't bother me."

Edith was an extraordinary woman who spoke three languages, was widowed three times and was honored by an army of tattoos. In a world where it's easy to be forgotten, Edith is remembered by countless people in Seattle, who look to her fighting spirit for inspiration.

When the world seems to come closing in all around you, be like Edith Macefield and stand by your convictions.

World-Famous Companies That Started in Washington

Washington has a bigger role to play in world commerce than you may realize. While I expect you to recognize a bunch of names on this list, you may find some surprises.

44 of the Best Musicians to Have Hailed From Washington State

We all know about the influential grunge scene of Seattle that brought the end of hair metal at the dawn of the 1990s. But did you know even more artists have called Washington home? A lot of these artists come from Seattle but some come from Spokane and even the Tri-Cities.

More From KW3