It is a weird, haunting sight. Imagine driving through the rural landscape of Croaker, Virginia, and suddenly coming face-to-face with a 20-foot-tall, crumbling bust of Abraham Lincoln. Then you see George Washington. Then Roosevelt. They are everywhere—42 massive concrete heads, some with skin peeling off their faces and others with gaping holes in the back of their skulls. This is what remains of Presidents Park in Virginia, a multi-million dollar ambitious project that went from a tourist dream to a literal graveyard of American history.
The park didn't start as a ghost story. It started with a man named Everette "Haley" Newman III and a sculptor named David Adickes. Adickes was inspired after driving past Mount Rushmore. He wanted people to see the scale of the presidency up close, not from a mile away through a pair of binoculars. So, in 2004, the park opened in Williamsburg. It cost about $10 million to build.
People came, but not enough of them.
By 2010, the park filed for bankruptcy. It was a mess of bad timing and a bad location. It was tucked away behind a motel, away from the main colonial tourist drag. When the gates finally locked, the land was auctioned off. But what do you do with 42 concrete heads that weigh between 11,000 and 20,000 pounds each? You can’t just throw them in the trash.
The Brutal Relocation to a Private Farm
Howard Hankins was the man tasked with destroying the statues. He was a local recycler and contractor who had helped build the park. But when the bank told him to crush the presidents into gravel, he couldn't do it. It felt wrong. It felt like destroying history, even if that history was made of rebar and industrial-grade plaster.
Instead, Hankins spent $50,000 of his own money to move them.
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Moving the Presidents Park in Virginia statues was a logistical nightmare. It took weeks. Because the busts were so heavy and top-heavy, the lifting process was violent. A crane would hook into the metal frame inside the head, and often, the back of the skull would just... pop off. If you visit the farm today, you'll see a massive hole in the back of Abraham Lincoln's head. It wasn't vandalism; it was the physics of the move.
The heads now sit on Hankins’ private farm. They are arranged in rows, but they aren't on pedestals anymore. They sit directly in the dirt. Over the last decade, the Virginia humidity has not been kind to them. Moss grows in the crevices of their ears. The white paint has turned a ghostly grey. In the winter, the statues look like a frozen army waiting for a command that will never come.
Why Did Presidents Park in Virginia Actually Close?
A lot of people blame the 2008 recession, and honestly, that’s a huge part of it. Gas prices spiked, and family road trips to Williamsburg cratered. But there were deeper issues. The park was "educational," which is often code for "kind of boring for kids." In a town where you can see live blacksmiths or ride world-class roller coasters at Busch Gardens, a field of stationary heads was a hard sell.
Marketing was also a disaster. You had to know where it was to find it. It wasn't visible from the main highway. By the time the owners realized they needed better signage and more "pizazz," the debt was already swallowing the operation whole.
The Viral Rebirth of a Failed Attraction
Social media did for Presidents Park in Virginia what millions in marketing couldn't: it made it cool. In the mid-2010s, urban explorers and photographers started sneaking onto the Hankins farm. The images were breathtaking. There is something deeply surreal about seeing the "Founding Fathers" decaying in a field of tall grass.
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The "creepy" factor became the draw.
The farm isn't technically a public museum. It’s a working industrial site. However, because the interest became so overwhelming, Hankins eventually started partnering with photographers and tour organizers like John Plashal. These "legal" tours are the only way to see the heads now without trespassing.
If you go, you’ll notice things that weren't obvious when the park was open. You can see the individual brushstrokes on the lapels of their suits. You can see the slight smirk on JFK’s face. You also see the damage. Ronald Reagan’s nose is scarred from a lightning strike. Several presidents have "bleeding" eyes where the internal metal supports have rusted and leaked orange streaks down the concrete faces. It’s hauntingly beautiful.
A Lesson in Preservation and Ambition
The story of the park is a reminder that even the biggest ideas can fail if the foundation isn't right. Adickes’ sculptures were masterpieces of folk art and engineering, but the business model was fragile. Today, these heads serve as a different kind of monument. They aren't just about the men they represent; they are about the passage of time and the fragility of our own national symbols.
There have been rumors for years about a new park. Hankins has talked about building a grand museum, perhaps in a new location, where the heads can be restored and displayed properly with lighting and walkways. But the cost is astronomical. Moving them once nearly broke the bank; moving them again—especially in their current fragile state—might be impossible.
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How to Actually See the President Statues Today
You can't just drive up to the farm and walk in. Don't do that. It’s private property, and the owners are working people. However, there are ways to see the remnants of Presidents Park in Virginia if you are willing to plan ahead.
- Follow John Plashal Photo: This is the most reliable way. He organizes sanctioned tours and night photography sessions. These are ticketed events and they sell out fast because people love the "abandoned" aesthetic.
- Respect the "No Trespassing" Signs: Seriously. The farm is an active business with heavy machinery.
- Check Local News for Pop-up Events: Occasionally, the heads are opened up for veterans' events or local fundraisers.
- Don't Expect a Gift Shop: This isn't a polished experience. Wear boots. It's muddy. There are bugs. It’s a field.
The best time to see them is in the late autumn. When the leaves have fallen and the sky is a flat, overcast grey, the white concrete of the presidents glows against the brown landscape. It feels like stepping into an alternate reality where the monuments of Washington D.C. were abandoned and forgotten.
Actionable Next Steps for the Curious Traveler
If you’re planning a trip to see what’s left of the park, your first move should be to follow the "Presidents in the Wild" or John Plashal social media pages to catch the next tour date. These happen sporadically throughout the year. While you're in the Williamsburg area, visit the actual historical sites like Colonial Williamsburg or Yorktown to get the "official" version of history before you go see the "decaying" version.
Keep your expectations in check. You won't find a visitor center or restrooms at the farm site. You’re paying for access to a unique, eerie, and highly Instagrammable graveyard of giants. It is, without a doubt, one of the most interesting "failures" in American tourism history.