Williamsburg, Virginia
The President Heads: Virginia's Crumbling Giants of Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Virginia, United States
Dozens of towering, 20,000-pound presidential busts stand in a state of eerie decay on a private farm, saved from destruction by a contractor who couldn't bear to crush the art.
Deep in the Virginia countryside, forty-two massive concrete faces stare blankly across a private field, their once-stately features now cracked and weathered by the elements. These eighteen-to-twenty-foot-tall busts were never meant to end up as a graveyard of political icons, but today they form one of the most surreal sights in the American South.
Originally part of a grand open-air museum, these crumbling monoliths now rest on a family farm, serving as a hollowed-out reminder of a failed roadside attraction.
Why It Stands Out
Sculptor David Adickes conceived the project after a trip to Mount Rushmore left him frustrated by the distance between the viewer and the stone faces. He wanted people to look the leaders in the eye.
To ensure accuracy, Adickes even studied the backs of heads in movie theaters to capture the nuances of aging hairlines. Interestingly, the busts are not uniform in height; they were scaled according to historical rankings of greatness.
The "great" presidents stand about a foot taller than those deemed "average" or "failures." When the original $10 million Presidents Park fell victim to the 2008 recession, contractor Howard Hankins was ordered to demolish the statues. Refusing to destroy the art, he spent a week hauling the 20,000-pound monoliths to his family property.
The relocation was brutal; forklifts punched holes through the backs of the skulls, leaving them scarred, though their piercing gazes remain remarkably intact.
Before You Go
The farm is private property and strictly off-limits to uninvited visitors. Security measures, including cameras, are actively monitored, and trespassing is prosecuted.
The only legal way to see these crumbling giants is through organized events. Local photographer John Plashal periodically coordinates authorized tours, which provide the only legitimate access to the site.
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