Random Things That Holy Land USA (14 items)

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  (#13) Aspiring Eagle Scouts Fixed The Holy Land Sign In 1997

  In 1997, a group of aspiring Eagle Scouts helped care for the abandoned park as part of their community service requirement. After being closed for over a decade, Holy Land had fallen into disrepair, so they decided to restore the park's famous Hollywood-style hillside sign.

  Fifteen-year-olds Mark and Matt Tortora asked local businesses to donate supplies and rallied volunteers to aid the effort. The nuns who owned the land agreed to let the team straighten, paint and rewire the letters, restoring them to their former, neon glory. 

  Lit up at night, the Holy Land USA sign could be seen from miles away
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  (#1) Holy Land USA Was Built By Hand With Donated Scrap Material

  In 1953, John Baptist Greco purchased Pine Hill, a 17.7 acre plot of land in Waterbury, CT, with plans to build a religious theme park.

  Three years later, Greco erected a 32-foot-tall crucifix on the site in front of a crowd of 1,000 onlookers. After that, Catholic Campaigners for Christ (Greco's organization) used the Bible as reference to create a miniature town they named Bethlehem Village.

  To construct the attraction, the group relied on donated and salvaged cement, wire, plywood, statues, mannequins, and real soil from Jerusalem. Old appliances and bathtubs also appeared in Biblical scenes.

  This project eventually spiraled out to become Holy Land USA. Since Greco was actively employed as a lawyer during construction, work on Holy Land was relegated to weekends and afternoons.
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  (#11) Holy Land Founder John Greco Was Once Rejected From A Seminary

  Born in 1895, Holy Land founder John Baptist Greco spent his early life in Waterbury, CT, before his family moved back to their native home in Italy. Greco later returned to the US as an adult, and attempted to enter a Roman Catholic seminary. However, when they rejected his application due to his poor health, he shifted focus and began studying law at Yale on a full scholarship. 

  After he became a lawyer, Greco continued to indulge his religious interests by founding Catholic Campaigners for Christ, a group that eventually helped him bring his theme park to life.

  Greco spent his adulthood in Connecticut, and to this day, his photograph hangs in the abandoned Holy Land chapel.
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  (#3) For Decades, The Nuns Refused To Accept Help Repairing Holy Land

  After the park closed in 1984, various groups attempted to work on Holy Land USA.

  In 1988, the Catholic Campaigners for Christ wanted to tear down the park's catacombs and chapel attractions for safety reasons. The group requested a bulldozer, but a local petition with 1,000 signatures stopped the destruction. One protester threatened to chain themself to a fence and others created a quilt to "Save Holy Land." 

  After the Boy Scouts helped repair the Holy Land sign in 1997, volunteers came together to pick up trash, clear brush, and cut trees. However, the nuns who owned the land were turned off by all the vandalism that took place while the park was closed, and refused to participate in the restoration project.

  In 2003, Waterbury city offical Frank Davino offered the nuns $1 million in financing so that the park could be reopened within five years. However, the nuns stood their ground, and rejected all aid. 
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  (#5) At Its Peak, Holy Land USA Received Around 40,000 Annual Visitors

  On December 1, 1958, Bethlehem Village, a precursor to Holy Land USA, officially opened to the public. Thanks to owner John Greco's idea to advertise on the radio and in travel brochures, news of the park spread quickly. Local school groups visited for tours and newspaper reviews helped drum up interest.

  As the park added more attractions, Bethlehem Village changed its name to Bible Park. Eventually, Greco created a model for Holy Land USA's giant, Hollywood-inspired hillside sign, ushering in the theme park's definitive name. 

  Holy Land USA peaked in the 1960s and '70s, at which time it drew in around 40,000 visitors every year. Although Greco encouraged $0.50 donations for parking, admission was free of charge, as local churches hosted collections that made enough money to keep Holy Land running.
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  (#6) Vandals Destroyed Statues And Walls Inside Holy Land USA

  After a series of fires ravaged Holy Land USA in 1974, the park remained open, but became a breeding ground for vandals. Exhibits were destroyed, and the library and gift shop were severely damaged.

  Once the park officially closed in 1984, vandals returned and destroyed even more of the site. In addition to graffiti, they tore apart dioramas, cut the heads off statues, and blocked off the catacombs with debris.

  As of 2018, the area is still considered dangerous, and it's allegedly a bad idea to visit the abandoned park at night. Although Holy Land remains officially closed, photographs and stories from people who've visited prove the attractions are still entertaining (if not in the way their creator intended). 

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