Exploring ABANDONED Holy Land USA (Waterbury, CT)

Описание: J-MASS INSTAGRAM: @jmassofficial

Atop a hill overlooking the city of Waterbury, Connecticut sits the many ruins and remnants of an abandoned religious theme park: Holy Land USA. Built in 1955 by local Roman Catholic attorney John Baptist Greco, Holy Land USA was pitched as a theme park for Christians of faith. The park includes many references to famous biblical stories, including the Tower of Babel and the Garden of Eden, as well as small-scale recreations of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Between the 1960s and 1970s, Holy Land USA reached its peak attendance, drawing crowds of up to 40,000 people annually. However, it would be closed in 1984 as Greco planned on making major expansions and improvements to the park to draw in more visitors. This plan would never come to fruition as Greco would pass away just two years later in 1986, keeping Holy Land USA permanently closed as ownership was passed to the Religious Sisters of Filippi, a sisterhood of nuns. Holy Land USA would deteriorate between the late 1980s and 2000s as it gained a very seedy and disturbing reputation, including one very heartbreaking incident in 2010. However, by 2014, the site had been purchased by the City of Waterbury and it was officially reopened, following a massive cleanup and renewal.

Holy Land USA is, without a doubt, one of my favorite abandoned locations in New England! This is such a unique place, with many remnants still left behind from its days as a thriving religious theme park. The giant 65-foot-tall cross that stands atop the hill now serves as a light-up beacon at night, and has become an iconic symbol of both Holy Land USA and the city of Waterbury. There are also many ruins left behind of Greco's recreations of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, with many of these small buildings and structures found on the slope of a hill at the very front of the park. Whether or not you are Christian, or even religious, this is truly a unique abandoned site to behold and explore--there really is nothing else quite like it! I've always loved visiting this place, especially seeing all the interpretations of famous biblical stories and scripture, from the Last Supper to the Nativity. I'd highly recommend anyone go visit this place! If you guys liked this video, make sure to stay tuned for more exploration videos all across New England!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_La...

00:00 "J-MASS Explores New England" Intro
00:20 Introduction to Holy Land USA
02:18 Exploring the Village Replica and Ruins
12:27 View of Waterbury
13:05 Continuing the Ruins Exploration
15:12 Three Crosses
16:15 History of Holy Land USA
17:43 The Big Cross
19:15 The Tragedy of Chloe Ottman
20:11 Final Ruins Exploration
21:25 Outro