The controversial power of eminent domain has cost the Sheahan family their property near Area 51 in Nevada, ending their ownership that dates back about 150 years.

The federal government has wanted the Groom Mine property, which overlooks the secret air base, offering as much as $5.2 million for it. But the Sheahans refused to accept the buyout, saying the land was “priceless” to them.

The Groom Mine, located in the remote central Nevada desert, is surrounded by Area 51’s security buffer zone which is patrolled by troops to prevent people from getting a look at the base.

On Sept. 16, a judge ruled that the Sheahans must give up the land. In the process, the family has lost not only the land and the buildings sitting atop it, but also any mineral rights below it. The land itself is valued by the Air Force, which now controls it, at $1.5 million.

The Sheahans have requested a jury trial to decide what the land and the property on it is worth.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

To Learn More:

Government Takes Family’s Land near Area 51 (by Glen Meek and Kyle Zuelke, Las Vegas Now)

Govt Confiscates “Nearly Priceless” Land near Area 51 Owned by Family since Lincoln Was President (by Glen Campbell, Right Wing News)

Neighbours of Area 51 'Alien' Break 60-Year Silence over Living Next Door to Top Secret Site (by Alex Wellman, Daily Mirror)

Family Near Area 51 Fights Back After Government Tries To Confiscate Property (by Carey Wedler, Activist Post)

11 No-Fly Zones in the United States (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)