The thief who stole an old metal swing from a North Richland Hills yard over the weekend probably had no idea it was a family heirloom -- passed down from generation to generation for 100 years.
"Just a lot of memories in that swing," said Matt Gildon, who played on the swing when he was a little boy and whose 2-year-old son Logan swang on it most recently.
But now, all that's left is the metal frame.
"It was hanging on this with chains," Gildon's grandmother, Ruth Martin, said.
It was stolen from the side of her yard, which has no fence, in the 7800 block of Birchwood Drive.
"I really couldn't believe it," Martin said. "It's just heartbreaking. They could have taken anything we had but that."
It was built by John Henry Reid nearly 100 years ago in Odessa.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
"He made it in his own blacksmith shop," Martin said. "He made his own rivets to put it together."
Over a century, the memories were passed on from Reid to his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
Martin remembers swinging on it when she was a little girl.
"He made it way before I was born. I'm 86," she said.
The family is offering a reward for its safe return, no questions asked.
"Just please bring it back," Gildon said. "It's a huge part of our heritage and our family. And we would love to have it back."
Martin said she's confident it will be returned.
"We believe in prayer and we prayed we'll get it back and God knows where it is so we'll get it back," she said.
North Richland Hills police are investigating. Meanwhile, the family has increased a reward to $500, with no questions asked, and is sharing their story on Facebook in hopes someone will help return the heirloom.
