For three decades, Andy Henry has declined $20-30 million offers for his 21-acre, 175-year-old farm. Ironically, local government is using his perseverance to take the entire property via eminent domain and replace pasture with affordable housing.

Grass for concrete? Legacy surrendered? No deal, Henry says. Period. Full stop.

On South River Road, in Middlesex County, N.J., warehouses and industrial buildings have replaced the once abundant farms of yesteryear—except a lone holdout.

“My family sacrificed on this land for 175 years,” Henry adds. “All the other farms disappeared. We did not. We will not.”

Sell, or Else
In 1850, Joseph McGill—Andy Henry’s maternal great-grandfather—bought 21 acres of farmland in Cranbury, tucked almost dead-center between New York City and Philadelphia.

McGill broke ground and began growing crops immediately, alongside construction of a farmhouse. In 1879, the home burned. McGill rebuilt in 1880. One crisis of many endured.