In a field in Croke, Virginia, there are 43 20-foot(6-meter) busts of the President of the United States that are deteriorating in severe weather conditions.
If you're busy making plans for a last-minute Labor Day weekend, perhaps consider a trip to the Virginia countryside, where you can frolic in the huge, decaying heads of 43 U.S. presidents.
The strangely specific premise of a horror movie? No — just a description of the unique and eerie spectacle of the Crocker region of Virginia, which includes the decaying busts of all presidents from George Washington to George W, looking at a 400-acre (161-hectare) family farm.
If you want to know how — and why — so many recent 20-foot (6-meter) concrete and steel heads of American leaders came to this place, you have to flip the calendar back to 2004. For six years, these concrete and steel busts by Houston sculptor David Atticus have been a major attraction in Presidents Park, miles outside williamsburg's colonial Crocker. Thousands of people visited the 10-acre (4-hectare) attraction until they didn't.
Eventually, in 2010, owner Everette "Haley" Newman had to close the park due to a lack of interest and sell the land to the developer. Heads – each weighs about 12,000 pounds (5,443 kilograms)! - Had to vacate the premises.
Yellowfish farmer Howard Hankin helped build Presidential Park, and while he may not be able to inherit the 43 giant heads, he doesn't have the heart to destroy them. So Hankins moved the busts out of his own pocket for $50,000 to a nearby family farm, hoping to eventually be able to restore them and create a new park. Speaking to Travel+Leisure magazine in 2016, Hankins said, "My plan is a real White House, real size, visits, a ballroom — every event the White House hosts, I attend." ”
Three years later, only one person received restorative treatment: Andrew Jackson. The rest of the miscellaneous crew were in terrible condition. First, everyone has to drill a big hole so that the crane can transport them to the farm.
Many of the decaying sculptures have lost part of their noses, and their frozen faces have been stained by exposure to the surrounding elements. The bust of Ronald Reagan was struck by lightning, and the statue of Abraham Lincoln was missing from the entire back of his head, which is a bit disturbing considering his tragic death.
While the area is not open to the public, interested parties can actually make the pilgrimage through a private tour organized by Hankins and village explorer and photographer John Prasal. Travel bookings are valid until September 2019 and must be made through Plashal's Facebook page. They include narration with a guide and even the chance to visit and photograph the statues at night.