Land mess... city park on my land!!
Here's the story...
My grandmother (dad's side) bought a parcel of land from her mother in 1935. After her mother (my great grandmother) died she inherited the parcel of land behind that and it went to a creek. About 500' of creek frontage. In 1975, my grandmother sold the land to my parents. In 1989, my parents sold the land to a family friend. I just bought the land from the family friend and now the land has been in my family's name about 100 years! During my purchase of the land the closing attorney ran the numbers of the land description and found that about 2 acres of land was missing. My parents bought and sold to the family friend about 2 acres of land. The land description came to one acre. I was given a warranty deed to it and a quit claim deed to the remaining 1/4 acre that went to the creek but where was the other 1 3/4 acres. Every one in my family, even my grandmother thought she had sold my parent property that went to the creek. So, being the detective that I am I went to the courthouse and was mortified at what I found! Turns out that the missing land was still in my grandmother's name AND that since she didn't live on the property she had no idea that the Army Corp of Engineers moved the creek in 1949. Before 1949 the creek made a "U" shape around my grandmother's property but the straightened the creek which put it right though the property. My parents were always told that the property went to the otherside of the creek but they only figured about a couple of feet on the other side. Now here's the kicker... the other side of the creek is a city ball park complex and even has a building next to the creek that is owned by a civic organization. Turns out that the missing 1 3/4 acres is in this city ball park and includes this building next to the creek! Due to some clerical error that parcel of land was never put into my parent's name in 1975. I was told I needed to do a Bill to Quiet Title. The city wasn't established until the last 70's but my family and the friend who bought it have been using the parcel of land in question on our side of the creek my parents had a garden on it and the friend who bought it even clear it up to the creek and put a permanent metal shed 21'x38' on at least part of this parcel of land. The city thinks they own it and even put a sewer main next to the creek but the title/deed is still in my grandmothers name and that was the last record of activity (going from my great grandmother to my grandmother) on the land and that was in the 1950's about the time my parents were born.
Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions?