Abandoned President Heads | Williamsburg, Virginia

42 abandoned president heads sit in what appears to be a post-apocalyptic setting in Williamsburg, Virginia and it’s attracting thousands of visitors.

These 18 – 22 foot crumbling heads, each weighing 11,000 – 22,000 pounds, are all that remain from “Presidents Park”. A park that was built in 2004 as a way to not only honor the United States past presidents, but also to educate visitors about the lives of these men. 

Unfortunately, due to poor location and the financial crisis at the time, Presidents Park was closed in 2010. Soon afterwards the president heads were ordered to be destroyed. However, Howard Hankins, the man who was tasked in the removal of the heads, couldn’t bring himself to destroy the remarkable statues sculpted by David Adickes.

From his own pocket, Howard paid to have these 42 statues taken from the park and relocated to his farm in hopes of eventually raising enough money to restore them.  Unfortunately, the journey from the park to the farm field was no easy feat and the statues endured a lot of damage. Now after a decade the environment has taken its toll on the statues as well. The once pristine statues, are now quickly deteriorating as they sit in a bog, surrounded by tall grass and heavy machinery. 

While this might sound like a sad end to the President Heads, they appear to be getting more visitors than ever! Many people admit that they come to see these statues before they disappear forever. Even though things didn’t work out as planned for Presidents Park, the original idea lives on. Visitors now come to Howard Hankins farm, and are greeted by history lovers who share interesting facts about the presidents along with the story of Presidents Park.

Things to know before visiting the President Heads:

If you’d like to visit the President Heads in person, all visitors must purchase tickets ahead of time. This is because only a certain number of people are allowed to visit at once. You can purchase your tickets online and can schedule a time here at this link: https://www.johnplashalphoto.com/2019-events

What should I bring to the Presidents Heads?

As you may have seen in our video we did not properly prepare in terms of clothing. We visited Williamsburg in April and it had recently rained. We soon learned that the heads are located in somewhat of a bog, so it can get very muddy. If you want to walk between the heads or get close to them we recommend wearing rain boots. If you plan on viewing or taking pictures from a distance then there’s a gravel path that you can walk on, so boots probably aren’t necessary.

Where should I stay if visiting from out of town?

Williamsburg, Virginia, has plenty of hotels within 10-15 minutes of the Presidents Heads.
For a full list of hotels in the area click here.

Where are the statues of the Presidents Heads located?

The address of Howard Hankins farm is, 8212 Croaker Rd., Williamsburg, VA. If you Google, ‘Presidents Heads’ it will show up on Google Maps as ‘permanently closed‘. However, this is to stop people from just showing up without buying tickets online. Simply go to the website and you’ll see the tour dates and times.

If you’re still not sure what to expect, then check out our Travel Episode here: ‘Presidents Heads | Williamsburg, Virginia‘. In this video we tour the eerie field of heads in Williamsburg, Virginia. Plus, we share a few things we wish we had known before visiting.

Have you visited the President Heads or are you going to visit? Let us know in the comments below!