Weeks Hall spent the last 15 years of his life fixing up The Shadows and trying to get someone to leave it to, who would take care of it.

The sugar plantations were gone, the land was gone, he was not a wealthy man.

He didn't have a large enough endowment to leave with the house.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation wouldn't take it, because of how small his endowment would be.

Worrying about the house affected his health.

He had a heart attack, and was in the hospital, on his deathbed.

The Trust reluctantly agreed to accept the property, with whatever money he had left. He wrote them a check and signed the papers, transferring the property to them.

The next day, he died.

He had done it.

To me, the National Trust killed him.

But there was nothing personal in it. It was just business.