Original subtitles

[narrator] Abandoned structures hold the secrets of America's past.

A forgotten factory that helped humankind concur the skies.

[Amanda] Many people know the story of the famous 12-seconds

that lifted us from the sand to the stars.

But after that what happened?

[narrator] A mansion infiltrated by gangsters.

During Prohibition, many of these organized crime members become rockstars.

Imagine Waxey Gordon vacationing here.

[narrator] And a violent ghost town that produced a new form of entertainment.

[Kelly Stowell] Something we all have in common is our love for this land.

Now we just get to go and play in it.

We don't have to make a living like the pioneers did.

[narrator] Scattered across the United States

are abandoned structures and those who know their stories.

These forgotten ruins reveal the past of this land...

and it's people.

These are the secrets of hidden America.

In the suburbs of a town known as "the gem city"

lies a building which helped America conquer the skies.

We've come a long way from this building.

But it's important to remember where it started.

A lot of times I wish I could've been offered a ride

by one of my great grand uncles...

The wind in your face and seeing the world from above,

it just completely intrigues me.

[narrator] On the west side of Dayton, Ohio,

this site was preserved due to its association

with two of America's greatest pioneers.

In their day, the men who constructed this building were rockstars!

Inside the structure,

there are hints to the building's revolutionary purpose.

[Corina] The place looks like it's in disrepair.

There's paint peeling off the walls.

But it does feel like this place was built to last.

[Rob] Once you get inside, there are these two massive empty spaces.

Each one roughly the size of half of a football field.

I mean, you could literally fit an aeroplane inside.

[narrator] National Park Service Superintendent, Kendall Thompson,

is the current care-taker of this facility.

[Kendall Thompson] I talked to a number of former workers who believed

that this was Orville's office.

The office space at that time

had, uh, just a rail, and almost like a stage

where you could look onto the manufacturing floor.

[narrator] This unassuming building was built by Orville and Wilbur Wright.

And was the first purpose-built aircraft factory in the world.

But this wasn't the Wright Brothers' first business in town.

Amanda Wright Lane grew up in Dayton

surrounded by tales of her great-grand uncle's achievements.

Uncle Wilbur was an entrepreneur.

And he was always interested in mechanical things.

And he started a bicycle business as well as a printing business.

Wilbur suddenly said, "Brother, let's take a look at this problem of human flight."

[narrator] The brothers decided to test their rickety prototype

with its 12 horsepower engine

on the sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

[Amanda] I often think about how much work it was for them

to haul this up and down hills in the sand in their wool suits.

But they were so dedicated, they knew they were close to an answer.

On December 17th, 1903,

the brothers succeeded.

The Wright flyer was only airborne for a few seconds,

but it was a milestone in aviation history.

[narrator] The brothers try to keep their success under wraps

as they endured setbacks and crashes,

all the while looking out for industrial espionage.

[Kendall] They stop flying, they box it all up.

They don't want anyone stealing their ideas.

[narrator] But Wilbur's decision to put on the world's first air show in France

in the summer of 1908, would change everything.

But the Wright Brothers surprised everyone

with a flight of almost two minutes circling the race course.

[Amanda] The whole idea of flying machines exploded after August of 1908

with lots of people in the mix.

[narrator] The Wright Brothers' flying machine

had become an overnight success.

[Dr. Corina] With the success of their flight,

they wanted to get even further ahead of the competition.

And they did what no-one else did.

They built a factory outside of Daytona, Ohio.

[Amanda] The sight they chose for their factory was just cornfields.

People that came to work in the airline industry

actually came by horse and buggy.

[narrator] The brand new aviation industry would attract brand-new talent.

[Amanda] A wonderful woman named Ida Holdgreve

responded to one of the Wright Brothers' ads for employees.

And they asked that the person who took the job be able to do plane sewing.

[narrator] The Wright Brothers' ad in the local paper was misspelt.

Instead of P-L-A-N-E,

plane was spelt, P-L-A-I-N.

[Dr. Corina] The misspelt ad enticed Ida Holdgreve to apply.

And so when she got to the interview they realized

she didn't have the experience for airplane sewing.

But actually, no-one did.

[Kendall] She would've come in, and we've discovered,

that she would've sat about right here.

We have photographs of her sitting in a dress, sewing airplane wings.

[narrator] Ida Holdgreve would continue to work in the industry for 15 years

climbing the ranks.

[Dr. Corina] Ida's story is really special because she was an absolute trailblazer,

because she was able to manage a team and became a real leader.

in the early days of airplane manufacturing.

[narrator] But while Ida's star was rising,

the Wright Brothers' love for flight would not last

as their early advantage began to slip away.

[Amanda] Neither of them thought the flying machine...

would have such a utilitarian use.

They thought it would be used for sports and leisure.

[Rob] The Wright Brothers have the best planes

and the best place in the world in which to build them.

But, they were about to throw it all away.

[narrator] The Wright Brothers built this revolutionary aircraft plant in 1910.

The first of its kind in the world.

But a disastrous business decision...

would mean that they would only produce

approximately 120 aircraft here.

So with everything that they had, they had the prototype,

They had their first flight, they had this first factory,

they actually went down a path of really just trying to protect what they had,

rather than continuing to innovate and invent new things.

[Amanda] They actually had registered a patent

on the idea of wing warping.

And that is changing the shape of the wings of the airplane in the air,

while flying just as a bird did.

[narrator] To protect their patent,

the Wright Brothers started a number of lawsuits against other airplane manufacturers.

[Kendall] They spent so many years and so much work and capital,

fighting these patent battles that by the time they had won...

really, innovation had moved on.

[Dr. Greg Szulgit] Before we judge the Wright Brothers too harshly

for this sort of patent world that they get involved in,

why wouldn't they wanna make money?

They're risking their lives here.

[narrator] The patent battle would have a calamitous impact

on the Wright Brothers and their factory.

[Dr. Greg] All of this courtroom fighting and consternation

takes its toll on Wilbur's health.

And he ends up succumbing to typhoid,

not shortly thereafter and dying.

[Kendall] Then when Wilbur dies in 1912,

then it's up to Orville to fight these battles all by himself.

And he really just didn't have the heart for it.

[narrator] In 1915,

just five years after this building was constructed,

Orville sold Wright company.

A new business known as Dayton Wright

continued to make planes here for the fledgling American Air Forces

in World War One.

[Dr. Greg] The energy and time put into this aviation patent war

had slowed things down so much

that by the time World War I comes around, and we really need planes,

the factories in Dayton, Ohio turned to British designs.

[Rob] Despite this factory making up to 38 airplanes a day

at its peak in World War I,

the conflict end meant a total drop-off in demand for new planes.

[narrator] The Wright Brothers factory would live on,

manufacturing rifles during World War II,

and auto parts after the war,

until it was obscured by surrounding buildings

and hidden from view for generations.

The entire site was due for demolition.

But this piece of aviation history has been spared.

One of the things that makes this such a fantastic place

is it is basically the same as it was when the Wright Brothers were here.

Probably the original 1910,1911 glass is even still in place.

I think if Orville walked into this space right now,

he'd go, "Okay, I recognize that."

[narrator] The National Park Service has invested heavily in this site.

And hopes to open it to the public as a museum soon.

[Amanda] I think we're so lucky in Dayton

to still have the original Wright Company factory.

The age of aviation changed the world,

and it advanced us in a way that I have to say,

I'm not sure even the Wright Brothers would've thought possible.

In the empire state,

a former go-to destination is written in mob legend.

[Dr. Michele Mitchell] We're in Sullivan County,

just a 100 miles from New York City.

It's only a couple of hours drive.

But the environment out here couldn't be more different.

It's a beautiful wilderness with mountains, lakes and forests.

[narrator] On the main road leading into town,

history hides in a battered building.

This building is like a parody of a haunted house.

It was clearly, formally once a very grand structure.

[Katherine Alcock] But the boarded up doors, the peeling paint

give you a clue that this place has been abandoned for quite some time.

[narrator] Inside the horror continues.

[Dr. Sascha Auerbach] This place is a death trap.

There's a couple of fireplaces but otherwise it is derelict.

The ceilings are caving in,

there are gaping holes in the wall.

[narrator] Nearly two centuries ago,

this building marked the beginning of a travel revolution.

[John Conway] Once I became a historian and began to...

delve into the history of the area,

I discovered that there's not a more significant building.

In many ways, the history of vacationing in America started here.

[narrator] But it's story isn't all rest and recouperation.

We begin to see bodies popping up in the lakes, or along the country roads.

There are murders taking place here.

[narrator] In Upstate New York,

this building has sat derelict for decades.

Local resident, John Conway,

has watched it disintegrate with fascination, his whole life.

We have more than a 160 lakes here in Sullivan County,

in addition to rivers and streams.

In fact, in the history of this building, one fish changes everything.

[narrator] Located just 500 feet from the water's edge,

this place was born out of a fishing frenzy.

[John] So it all starts in 1832 in February.

There's an article published in one of the national sporting publications

that talks about the largest trout in the world having been taken out of White Lake.

The sensationalist headline does wonders for the region.

And almost overnight you have fishermen pouring in,

trying to catch fish that's even bigger.

[narrator] But these fishermen we no ordinary men.

The term "fishermen" is a bit deceptive here.

This was before Railroads made the area accessible.

I mean, this is before the American Civil War.

So the only people who could afford to get to this remote location were wealthy people.

[narrator] However, with a lack of suitable lodgings

for these affluent pioneers,

a new phenomenon was seen across America.

[Dr. Sascha] In the mid-19th century, the idea of the "vacation"

is really just being born.

And we're starting to see these luxury hotels

appear in some of the most sought-after locations.

[John] This building played an important role

in the changing lives of Americans everywhere.

The fishermen who came here

were among the very first vacationers in American history.

In 1848, a man by the name of David Barton Kinne,

whose family has a long history here in White Lake,

builds our first successful summer hotel in Sullivan County,

the White Lake Mansion House.

[narrator] The hotel was constructed to reflect the finest buildings

of both the past, and present.

So the White Lake Mansion house is a fairly typical 19th century resort,

the Greek Revival architecture.

Very interesting to note the dual verandahs, the two porches.

It was important to offer your guest the ability to be outside

and to take in the fresh air.

But not necessarily to be in the bright sunlight.

[Dr. Sascha] One of the early advertisements for the White Lake Mansion House

described it as the most luxurious hotel north of Philadelphia.

Combining the elegance of Colonial times with a quiet distinction.

It really was a five-star hotel of its time.

[narrator] Yet, while business was booming,

at the end of the 20th century the White Lake Mansion House would change forever...

...as the world entered an era of smoke and steel.

[John] We're seeing an industrial revolution.

We're seeing the population of cities explode.

[narrator] It's an age of factories, railways,

and for New York City, a cultural transformation.

[Dr. Michele] Throughout the industrial revolution,

New York has experienced a period of mass immigration from Eastern Europe.

Thousands of Jewish people are making the trip in search of a new life in America.

Over a 40 year period from 1880 through to about 1920,

the Jewish population in New York increased from about 80,000

to about 1.5 million.

[narrator] Now they made up a quarter of the Big Apple's population,

many Jewish people turned to the usual vacation spots, including Sullivan County.

[Dr. Michele] So many Jewish people came

that the area became nicknamed the Borscht Belt, which is after the beet soup.

[John] A lot of the hotels, like the White Lake Mansion house go up for sale.

We see a lot of these Jewish immigrants buy properties.

[narrator] But the good times didn't last...

As the great depression hits in the 1930s,

business for the White Lake Mansion House goes downhill fast.

Desperate for money,

the hotel's owners turn to a dark under belly

emerging from New York's suburbs.

[John] As the Jewish immigrant population in New York City

begins to grow exponentially,

we see the rise of a gangster class.

And because the Borscht Belt has become a popular vacation place,

these Jewish gangsters begin to find their way into Sullivan County.

[narrator] According to legend,

mob kingpin Waxey Gordon invests in this resort.

[John] Waxey Gordon becomes a gangster early on as a young man.

He begins as a pickpocket.

During Prohibition, he learns how to bootleg whiskey,

begins to make millions of dollars a year,

and becomes one of the most successful

of the organized crime figures in New York City.

[Dr. Sascha] For Waxey Gordan,

White Lake Mansion House is not just a place to launder money.

You can also imagine that he might've plotted some of his mob-murders

right here in this location.

[narrator] With new mob investor, Waxey Gordon,

the White Mansion House found itself entwined in a web of crime.

We can document at least eight murders tied to organized crime

taking place here in Sullivan County during the 1930s.

And those bodies would be dumped in lakes,

or buried in shallow graves.

But soon, this hotel would see a last stand against the law.

[John] After the federal government is able to

indict and convict Al Capone on income tax evasion charges,

they go after the next big fish.

And that's Waxey Gordan.

[narrator] On the run, the kingpin turns to his Sullivan County resort.

[John] He hides out here in White Lake.

And in May of 1933,

Waxey Gordon is arrested without incident

at the hunting lodge that's owned by the White Lake Mansion House.

[narrator] Despite losing it's source of mob money,

the building's doors remain open.

Over the following decades

the hotel that was once a trailblazer for American vacations,

struggled to keep up.

[Dr. Michele] As we get into the 50s,

we see major changes in how American's wanna have a holiday.

They want grand entertainment, they want three scrumptious meals a day.

The White Lake Mansion House with it's small, limited plot

was unable to compete.

[narrator] After years of decline,

the hotel unexpectedly finds itself in demand again for an unusual reason.

[Dr. Sascha] In 1969,

one of the most famous music events of all time took place right in this area.

Woodstock.

[John] Hundreds or thousands of people looking for places to stay.

And perhaps, that's the last hay-day of the White Lake Mansion House.

[narrator] But this influx of visitors wasn't enough to save it.

And in the 1970s, the hotel shut it's doors for good.

Today, after a string of owners,

the White Lake Mansion House is up for sale again.

[John] Over the years there have been a number of owners.

Someone came in and began to renovate

with the idea of recreating a gangster-themed hotel here.

But through it all, it's managed to survive,

and so there's still hope that the White Lake Mansion House

will once again be returned to its earlier glory.

[narrator] In the middle of the desert

lies a collection of buildings that know both, big screen glamor,

and real-life tragedy.

This part of Utah

is some of the most spectacular landscape in the United States.

[Sarah Churchwell] Some of these really, really iconic rock formations

that people know from Western movies.

[Dr. Sascha] There's really, like, no other place you'll ever see in the world.

And it varies between snow-capped mountains,

river valleys that are actually quite lush,

and then you have some of the most desolate landscape imaginable.

[narrator] Next to a river bed are the tumbling walls of buildings long forgotten.

[Dr. Kenya Davis-Hayes] As you look further into the valley,

there's a fenced-off area.

And you see stones, maybe it was a part of a cemetery.

[Kelly Stowell] I think it was probably somewhat of a punishment

to be called to go and settle in an area like this.

I don't think it was that much fun.

It was definitely off the beaten path,

and on the outer fringes of civilization.

And it still is today. And that's why I like it here.

[narrator] This site may have started as a frontier town...

...but it became something else.

[Dr. Sascha] These aren't the only derelict buildings in the area.

Just up the road you find a whole bunch of other abandoned wooden structures.

[Dr. Kenya] They're built in the style of a Wild West town.

But if they were built during the Wild West era,

wouldn't they have crumbled to dust by now?

They burned it down, it's a little haunting,

but it's still a great part of our history.

This era is clouded by drama and violence.

And then, in the modern era, it became a place

where stories of drama and violence were staged again.

[narrator] Kelly Stowell has scouted this area extensively

for his feature films.

And he finds it spectacular.

[Kelly] So we're here at the Paria River.

This part's pretty cool 'cause it--

The river busts through the mountain,

and then it continues on south from here.

It's huge. A big inhospitable country,

and it was a really difficult place to make a town.

[narrator] This area was settled by a group fleeing persecution.

In the mid-1800s,

people of the Mormon faith were experiencing extreme religious persecution.

They were driven out of New York,

then they were living in the state of Illinois.

And ultimately they will find themselves pushed out of that space.

[Jim Meigs] They had to travel,

almost like the Jews of the Old Testament,

wandering the desert after escaping from Egypt.

[narrator] One Mormon group founded this town

and named it after it's life-giving river,

Paria.

But one of this town's earliest settlers was fleeing a heinous crime.

One of the more prominent or infamous characters

that spent time here was a guy named John D. Lee.

The story of Mormonism in America,

it's a story of incredible fortitude and perseverance.

But it has some dark chapters as well.

[narrator] Before he helped to found Paria,

John D. Lee was pivotal

in one of the most notorious events in the history of the American West.

John D. Lee joined a secret Mormon order called 'The Danites',

who were charged with protecting the Mormon Peoples from their enemies.

[Dr. Kenya] Lee took his duties very seriously.

He viewed anyone passing through the area

who was not Mormon, as a threat.

[narrator] During the 1850,

many non-Mormon pioneers took the old Spanish trail across Utah

and they headed west to California.

[Sarah] A large party of a 150 to 200 settlers

were making their way through the Utah territory,

and the Mormon leadership decided that they were a threat.

[narrator] Disguised as Native Americans,

Lee and his followers attack the wagon train

at a place called Mountain Meadows.

[Dr. Kenya] It was an absolute massacre.

They murdered every man, woman and child over the age of seven,

so that no one would be able to get the word out of their misdeeds.

[narrator] Ultimately at least 120 pioneers we slaughtered.

Lee evaded federal authorities for 17 years

by hiding out in Paria and other parts of Utah.

But he was eventually tracked down.

Lee was transported back to Mountain Meadows

and a photographer was on-hand to record justice being done.

Lee was executed by a firing squad.

[narrator] Unlike Lee, the town of Paria survived.

But it was living on borrowed time.

Paria seemed like a promising place to build an agricultural community.

But the very waters that brought life to it,

also threatened it.

[Dr. Kenya] The town had grown into a general store,

a cemetery, and a church.

But these boom-town times would not last for long.

[Dr. Sascha] For five years running the Paria River flooded,

washing away farms and homes.

[narrator] However, these floods made room for some new pioneers

from the silver screen.

[narrator] In the 1920s,

the Mormon settlement of Paria had become a ghost town.

But a new industry would exploit it's natural beauty.

[Sarah] The Western is the sight of the American epic.

These are mythical stories

about nation-making, nation-building.

And the spectacular geographical settings

of the western Unites States gives this incredible backdrop.

[Kelly] The scenery here is dramatic, and it varies.

We have everything from high mountain forests that can be the Swiss Alps,

all the way to the Sahara Desert and everything in between.

[narrator] The first production that filmed at Paria

was The Deadwood Coach,

one of Hollywood's many lost early movies.

The Paria ghost town was used as a set itself.

But over time, a second set was built in the vicinity.

The Outlaw Josey Wales was shot here.

To me, that's one of the classic movies of all time.

Very last of the movie with a gun fight, that was done on the Paria River.

[Dr. Sascha] Soon much of the area was dedicated to the film industry.

And locals became crew members, extras, and even stuntmen.

[narrator] The bones of this old movie set still litter the landscape

as a monument to its dramatic end.

[Dr. Sascha] Like many temporary structures, this was not built to last.

And as part of the filming of The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again in 1979,

the fort was blown up and it was never really fully rebuilt afterwards.

[narrator] Another abandoned movie set

lies a few miles from the Paria town site in Johnson Canyon.

This was the home of a national institution.

[Dr. Kenya] In 1955, Gunsmoke had its TV debut.

And it was an instant success.

[Jim] Gunsmoke was a television sensation

during a time when television itself was a national obsession.

This was right at the moment when it seemed like everyone in America

was rushing out to buy a tv set.

[narrator] Although set in Kansas,

Gunsmoke was shot across the south-western United States,

with many of the exterior shots taking place here in Utah.

[Sarah] Gunsmoke ran for 20 years.

It was one of the longest running shows on television.

And it began the career of a couple of major stars

including a very young Burt Reynolds.

Most of buildings here are tumbling down.

But you can still imagine

Matt Dillon telling the bad guys to get out of Dodge [in husky voice]

[narrator] Gunsmoke was cancelled in 1975.

And now both this site, and the Paria town site are slowly returning to dust.

Although the sun has set on the glory days of Utah's little Hollywood,

there is still sporadic activity here.

To this very day,

Hollywood still comes to this locale for shoots.

And the ghost town was featured in an episode of Westworld.

[Kelly] They weren't meant to be permanent structures.

Through the efforts of some of the local folks,

they've been able to preserve some of it.

We have a unique history.

with this right in our backyard, and we're very proud of it.

[narrator] 30 miles west of Chesapeake Bay

lies the remains of a passion project

that became presidential in scale.

[Dr. Corina] We're here in the swampy forest of Virginia near Interstate 64.

Thousands of people are driving up and down this highway,

potentially oblivious to what's hiding behind the trees.

[narrator] On the edge of an industrial area,

lie a set of structures that are hard to ignore.

This is a wild weird site that nobody would expect.

There appears to be dozens of just giant white heads

kind of all wrapped around like a choir.

What I find weird is the size of these heads.

They're easily 20 feet tall.

It's one of the most bizarre things I've ever seen.

[narrator] Yet it's what the statues represent that's truly astonishing.

When you look closer you start seeing these familiar faces.

These are the American presidents.

[Howard Hankins] It's a little eccentric to have done it possibly.

But how many people in the world can say they've got presidents

of the United States sitting in their backyard.

And the way they got here, what a story that is!

[narrator] Today Howard Hankins is the proud owner

of these giant heads.

He keeps them on his private farm.

[Howard] There's a few of 'em in there. There's Gerald Ford.

Bill Clinton's right there.

George Bush, Johnson, and...

Jimmy Carter...

[narrator] They were built to pay homage to every past American president.

This is George Washington. He's one of my favorites.

Father of our country, first president...

Looks like he's got some tears coming down his face right now.

Maybe he's a little upset with the government.

[narrator] Once they had a much grander home

as the star attraction of a patriot's dream.

These are the last remains of President's Park.

[announcer] Presidents Park was created to inspire and renew our patriotic pride

through the compelling history of our presidents.

President's Park was a small open-air museum.

Essentially a park full of these presidents heads

with little information plaques on each of them

so you could learn about all the presidents.

[narrator] But these heads

would face an enemy most presidents never had to deal with.

These huge concrete heads

were the centerpiece of Virginia's Presidents Park.

It was an idea inspired by a visit

to one of America's most iconic sites.

[Dr. Kyle A. Thomas] The Presidents Park

is the brain child of David Adickes,

the Texas sculptor.

He was coming back from Canada and passed by Mount Rushmore,

and could see the faces of the presidents on the mountain in the distance.

[Jim] Seeing Mount Rushmore was kind of a light-bulb moment for David Adickes.

He wondered, what if you had sculptures of the presidents

but you could walk right up to them?

An idea formed in his mind to create a park.

[narrator] As Adickes searches for a location for his new park in Virginia,

a chance meeting with a local real-estate agent called Haley Newman,

would dramatically change its future.

[Howard] Haley was a, a large history buff.

He loved our country.

You could listen to his stories all day long.

[narrator] The pair entered a partnership

and settled on a spot just outside Williamsburg.

Soon the construction of the 42 giant heads began,

each weight up to 20,000 pounds.

[Dr. Kyle] The heads were constructed

during the presidency of George W. Bush,

the 43rd president of the United States.

So why are there 42 presidential heads?

Well, you can thank Grover Cleveland for that

because he served none consecutive terms.

Meaning he was both the 22nd,

and the 24th president of the United States.

[narrator] As a local contractor,

Howard got the call to help build the park.

We did the pathways for the, uh, presidents' heads to be assembled.

And we built a small museum there.

[narrator] On March 1st, 2004, Presidents Park opened it's doors for the first time.

When I first saw it set up,

it, it really overwhelms you to walk around, and...

These things are huge when you get up beside 'em.

They had an upper balcony to get a view from above, which was pretty cool.

[Dr. Corina] For history buffs and folks interested in U.S. history,

this was your place.

Along with the buffs,

there was a version of the Oval Office,

a replica of the fuselage from Air Force One,

lots of president and first lady memorabilia,

and of course, a gift shop.

[narrator] But soon, the park's open-air design would prove problematic.

One of the challenges that face Presidents Park

was just putting all these sculptures outside.

You know, concrete's a great building material,

but it's not as durable as marble or bronze for a statue

Over time, you know, mildew and moss can grow.

Birds are gonna do what birds do.

[narrator] Yet, this was just the beginning of the troubles for Presidents Park.

[Dr. Corina] Pretty much from the time the park opened,

it's finances were not in great shape.

Haley Newman had taken out over three million dollars in loans.

And unfortunately,

they just never got the footfall that they expected.

[narrator] With funds running dry,

one of the most monumental moments in American history

would push the park to breaking point.

-[man] Congratulations, Mr. President. -[all cheering]

[Jim] If you're gonna create a Presidents Park,

you have to have all the presidents.

When Barrack Obama became president in 2009,

they needed to add an Obama head to their collection.

[Howard] We were trying to get an Obama head, but that was too expensive.

So, we ended up with, uh...

...a small bust they make before they make the actual large statues.

[narrator] Costing tens of thousands of dollars,

a full-sized Obama bust never arrived.

On September 30th, 2010, the doors to Presidents Park shut for good.

But the question remained.

What was to be done with these massive heads?

I got a call from Haley.

He asked me if i could go clean the park out,

and crush 'em and destroy 'em. And I couldn't do it.

The idea hit me of movin' 'em.

What I did was pop a hole in the top of 'em

and dropped a chain in and rocked them off of their concrete foundation.

Then just started loading them out.

It took us about six days.

And here they are.

[narrator] Today these monumental busts

are slowly becoming one with nature.

In an ironic twist of fate, this is breathing new life into the heads.

the presidents' heads, where they currently sit,

have become a tourist attraction again.

They're a bit of an oddity.

But it shows how Americans experience their history.

That even with all the ugly cracks and blemishes

people come from all over the world to see these presidential busts

sitting out in a field.

[Howard] I've had Ozzy Osbourne out here.

I've had two or three different bands coming out

and shooting music videos.

Another company coming in. Uh, they did a fashion show out here.

[narrator] This blossoming interest

has re-lit the flame of Presidents Park.

Over the next few years,

we're planning on building some walking paths and renovating them.

But keep their look they have now of deterioration.

But they will be preserved to last forever.