"Children are taught in school to hate their own countries and to believe that the men and women who built it are not heroes but bad people," Donald Trump said in a tone meeting last Friday. threatening, symbolically located at the foot of the controversial Mount Rushmore.
In a context particularly shaken by the Black Lives Matter movement, the Americans are now faced with an essential problem: should we celebrate, without nuance, the historical figures of the country? Confront their share of shadow? Or unbolt the statues of settlers and other slave figures? Far from these questions crystallizing the tensions, regularly returns in the news a strange cemetery of presidential busts decrepit and lost in a field of Virginia. And who are only gaining popularity.
Abandoned presidents heads in a rural Virginia field pic.twitter.com/Tl25wspiKO
- Areas Abandoned (@TerrifyingVids) July 5, 2020Patriotic roots
Originally, these impressive busts were part of a Williamsburg tourist site, the Presidents' Park, where visitors could wander among the statues. An idea from a local trader, inspired after driving past Mount Rushmore. Everette “Haley” Newman collaborates with a sculptor, invests a small fortune of 10 million dollars, and opens his amusement park in 2004.
But very quickly, the park went bankrupt. Hidden behind a motel and away from the tourist attractions of the colonial city of Williamsburg, the park was doomed from the start and closed in 2010. But then, what to do with its huge sculptures? This is where Howard Henkins, the owner of the land where the statues "rest" today, comes in.
While the land in the Presidents' Park is to be auctioned, he is hired to destroy the busts with his stone crusher. American patriotism requires, Howard does not have the heart to destroy them. "Instead of doing that, he spent tens of thousands of dollars out of his pocket to move the busts, which weigh nearly 10,000 kg each, from the park to his property," said John Plashal to Business Insider, a passionate photographer of the place. abandoned and which is now participating in the rehabilitation of the land where the busts are stored.
Instagrammable busts
Because more than ten years after the closure of the park, the statues continue to gain popularity. Giants and austere, the presidential busts are now more popular than ever since they are "abandoned" and left in ruins in the landfill of Howard Henkins. "People were really not interested in these busts when they were in the Presidents' Park," explains John Plashal, for whom the image we have of these presidents as powerful men is in clear contrast to the current state of the statues.
John Plashal and Howard Henkins have been partners since last year and organize paid visits, after several years when "visitors" illegally entered the property. "So many people use Snapchat and Instagram using the hashtag #presidentshead, it spreads like wildfire," said the photographer.
According to several media sources, Henkins has said that he is looking to restore and transport the large sculptures, but would have to spend more than $ 1.5 million to do so. "We need help to get the funds to create a new museum that will give the presidential busts the honor they deserve and educate them about our great presidents," says the news site. busts.
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