When I was in school – way back in the previous century – we got a day off on February 22nd to celebrate George Washington’s birthday, one of the oldest federal holidays.
Somewhere around 1970 it was moved to the third Monday in February and not long after that people began calling the celebration “Presidents’ Day”.
And a little while later, it turned into an excuse to run sales on mattresses.
Since I’m not working, the holiday is pretty much irrelevant. But it does bring to mind a president-related oddity we have in Virginia.
A relatively short drive from here, sitting in a field near Williamsburg, Virginia, is an eerie collection of huge busts of 42 presidents (through Bill Clinton), sculpted of concrete and decaying in the mud. They were created for an attraction that had to close in 2010 when the land they occupied was sold.
So, what do you do with dozens of huge concrete heads when you’re being evicted?
One of the people who helped build the original park “lugged them back to his private family farm for safekeeping until someone can think of what to do with them”. Which is where they remain fifteen years later.
This strange collection is normally not open to the public but there are still plenty of curious folks (like me) who would love to get a look.
Fortunately, a few times a year a local photographer guides small groups through the gates.1 And, after many attempts to get a ticket (they sell out quickly), I finally got the opportunity to visit and capture some images of this off-beat attraction in July of 2022.
The photo at the top will give you an idea of the scale of the busts, as well as the less-than-ideal arrangement for their storage. If you’d like to see more, visit my full gallery from that afternoon.
And if you’re curious to learn more about the history of the project and the ongoing efforts to save and restore the heads, Atlas Obscura has a short post and a podcast episode with all the details. Plus, someone made a short documentary about it.
1. The next opportunity is scheduled for March 22. If you happen to be in the area of Williamsburg, VA, they might have some tickets still available. Wear your boots because the area is pretty muddy.