All language subtitles for Mysteries.of.the.Abandoned.Hidden.America.S02E06.1080p.WEB.h264-CBFM_track3_[eng]

[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.