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Holy Land USA
On a rise known as Pine Hill, overlooking the
Brass City in New Haven County, lie the ruins of one of Waterbury's most celebrated religious parks. Holy Land USA was
the brainchild of Yale graduate, John Baptist Greco, an attorney/entrepreneur who had a grand vision of creating a sort of
theme park where people the world over could visit in order to learn all about the stories of Jesus and the Bible. Since
the 1980s, the place has lain in ruin, the ghost of its former self sprawled out amongst the craggy outcroppings of Pine Hill.
In February of 1984, a report appeared in local newspapers claiming that several people who were visiting the site spotted
what appeared to be the ghostly figure of a woman as she approached a phantom car at the front gate of the park, before disappearing
into the night. Since that time, no ghosts nor phantom vehicles have been reported.
The History
John Greco was a four-foot-eleven, devoutly religious man,
remembered for his penchant for wearing nice suits. Popsmear.com tells the story:
"Born in Waterbury in 1895, Greco
was the son of a shoemaker who as a young child spent his time in Italy apprenticing in his father's craft. At the age
of 13 he returned to the U.S. where he would later seek the priesthood, but because of poor health he was denied the chance
of becoming 'Father Greco.' Instead he entered law school at Yale, and in 1926 passed the Connecticut bar exam.
In the mid-1930s he founded the Catholic Campaigners for Christ [of Connecticut] as a lay group to preach the Bible at a grass
roots level. In 1943 he organized the construction of a nativity scene on the Green in Waterbury, which ultimately gave
way to the plans for Holy Land.
Greco was a fragile man with a scant Italian accent who
never married. He is remembered as a humble citizen of the community who dedicated his law practice to needy clients.
For his efforts, he was honored by Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. Additionally, he was made a Knight of
St. Gregory by Pope Pius XII, and an honorary citizen of the real Bethlehem in Israel the year after Holy Land opened in 1957.
After purchasing the 17 acres and constructing
Holy Land upon Pine Hill (sometimes referred to by locals as Blueberry Hill because of its abundant blueberry bushes) Greco
tirelessly worked upon the displays and dioramas for the rest of his life. The theme behind the park was to present
these biblical stories along a walking trail that encircled the whole of the mountain, culminating in a visit to the pinnacle
of Pine Hill where not only was a 52-foot-tall steel and plexiglass cross erected (designed and built by Frank Veto Lyman
and put up in 1956) but also a nearly full-scale reproduction of the site of Jesus' crucifixion.
From Popsmear.com:
"In Greco's mind, Holy Land wasn't
actually finished until the mid-1970s. After completing a day of work at his law office, he would labor at the site
until sundown, maintaining it and adding new exhibits."
Because Mr. Greco's vision was so extensive from the start,
it was apparent that he would need lots of help. He enlisted the assistance of many local businessmen and neighbors
and as the years went by, the vision of the park grew. It was finally completed with nearly 100% of the construction
done on a volunteer basis and the materials completely donated.
As the park opened, the visitors were amazed by the sheer
size of the attraction. Soon, the park attracted what were referred to as "pilgrimage buses" where masses of believers
unloaded into the parking lots to enjoy the spectacle and grandeur of Holy Land USA.
When park visitation began to lag in the 80s, the park closed
and they continued to upkeep the land, but the displays fell into disrepair. Mr. Greco passed away in 1986 at the age
of 90 and willed all 17 acres of Holy Land USA to the Sisters of Fillipini who continue to care for the site. Over the
past 15 years, the park has the been the site of massive, cruel vandalism. Not a single one of the hundreds of structures
has been untouched and most are nearly unrecognizable due to this vast decimation. The park is littered with beer and
liquor bottles and the most famous of the monuments, the cross at the top of the mountain, is covered at its base with graffiti
and obscenities.
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| The Entrance To Jerusalem in Miniature |
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| Jerusalem on Pine Hill |
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| A placard announcing one of the many (now missing) displays of events in the Bible |
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| The toppled pillars of the ancient city |
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| Jerusalem in the hills |
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| Life-size statue of Jesus whose hands have been removed |
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| Statue atop the column (30-40 feet high) |
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| More ruins |
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| A temple in the woods |
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| Close-up of the temple |
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| The sepulchre |
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| Unknown vandalized statue |
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| The Tower of Babel |
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| Entrance to the Creche |
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| The Great Pyramid of Cheops & the Sphinx |
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| The Wooded Chapel |
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| Stairway to Heaven? |
A Stroke of Luck
When GHOST members first arrived
at the front gate of Holy Land USA, we noticed "No Trespassing" signs that were posted everywhere. As we contemplated
speaking with the nuns of Holy Land Convent, a gentleman approached us from the bottom of the hill on a motorcycle.
When he stopped, we began to chat and, as luck would have it, this gentleman possessed an encyclopaedic knowledge of the site
and was obliged to show us on a tour of the ruins.
Tom Durso, a Watertown Police Commissioner, was a long-time
resident of Waterbury, having grown up in the southern end of the town. He was well-familiar with the Brass Mill City
and helped piece together the story of Holy Land USA. As we interviewed Tom at the cross site at the pinnacle, GHOST members were amazed at the beautiful panoramic view of Waterbury all around us. Tom was knowledgeable
enough to be able to point to all sections of the city and name them one by one, being sure to fill us in on why the city
was referred to as the Brass City (the main population of Waterbury was employed by three large brass companies).
In 1986, Tom recalled that a bulldozer was parked at the
top of the hill, right outside the gates of Holy Land USA for the purposes of doing some work on the grounds. Somehow,
he explained, folks in the surrounding community got it into their heads that the bulldozer was there to knock down and plow
under all the remnants of the park. Like wildfire, word got around and soon, the Diocese was inundated with requests
and pleas to stop the destruction. "That's the kind of support and the network that surrounds this place," Tom told
us as he smiled and stared pensively up at the Holy Land USA gates.
This story is told from different points of view on other
sites. From Popsmear.com, we find:
"Shortly before Greco's death,
plans were underway to renovate the park, but because of a reported lack of interest on behalf of city residents, the estimated
five million dollar renovation has never been completed. Bulldozers then began to occupy the grounds in preparation
to destroy the already decaying shrines and monuments. Folk art enthusiasts petitioned the destruction of Holy Land
by holding sit-down demonstrations and sabotaging where necessary to keep the bulldozers from doing their job."
When asked about the ghost sighting, Tom looked around himself
and spotted a Heineken bottle and remarked, "That Heineken might be responsible for the ghost." He went on that he had
not heard about any sightings of ghosts or hauntings of any sort, and reiterated that he had been coming to this site for
a long time. Tom actually assisted the sisters who care for the land in clearing away debris and doing other handiwork.
Tom said that in its heyday, Holy Land USA was an amazing site and, according to the Wall Street Journal, attracted up to
44,000 visitors per year.
The Anomaly
While we toured the site, we were enthralled with the beauty
of Holy Land USA, despite its ruined displays and overgrown paths. We actually passed by the Hollywood-style sign that
was refurbished and repainted by some Boy Scouts in the 1990s for their community service badges. That sign can still
be seen from both Routes 84 and 8 on a clear day. In fact, as a tribute to the work of Greco, the Boy Scouts in charge
of the sign refurbishment created a small tribute themselves. At the very foot of the Holy Land USA sign, they created
a small garden-brick display that reads simply, "Honor God". As for the cross, it is still lit up every night and the
colors at one point were changed to purple for Lent and red for Christmas. There is even a weather gauge inside the
base of the cross which is used by local meteorologists because Pine Hill happens to be the highest point in the area.
Although we didn't feel any sort of creepiness at the site,
outside of the fact that ruins always bring on a sense of sadness or hopelessness, Holy Land USA was different. The
place possessed a feeling of hope and was quite impressive. You will note that most every site dealing with visits to
present-day Holy Land USA will say that they experienced terror, dread and a feeling of death. I cannot vouch for these
folks, but I can vouch for GHOST members. We were completely devoid of these feelings of
dread. One site's author apparently even went so far as to fear for his life. He felt that murderous thugs were
hanging around behind every tree and bush and broken ruin. One actually said that locals refer to Holy Land as "the
murder capital of Waterbury" (NOTE: According to police records, the only recorded death at Holy Land USA was an accidental
fall from a cliff edge).
As GHOST members bid Tom goodbye
and descended the trails toward the entrance gates, we stopped to snap pictures of a curious reproduction of Solomon's Temple.
When we neared a now-missing statue of the Lion and the Lamb, our video camera beeped and the battery
indicator momentarily drained and then re-emerged as full (a never-before occurring anomaly). We snapped photos, shot
more video, but nothing seems to have shown up on film. The anomaly only took seconds to occur, yet the quirk in the
equipment was curious nonetheless. As for the story of the ghostly woman and the phantom car at the front gate, we did
not register anything of importance in that vicinity.
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| Refurbished Sign |
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| Trail by the Sign |
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| The Cross |
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| Tom Durso & GHOST-ly friends |
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| Solomon's Temple |
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| Temple Courtyard |
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| Departing Holy Land USA |
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| Postcard of Holy Land USA (circa 1960s): Note the 10' tall Bible open to the 10 Commandments |
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| Holy Land USA following its grand opening (1957) *CLICK ON PHOTO FOR LARGER VIEW* |
What's Next
We assume that ghost hunters and paranormal specialists
will continue to claim that the land is haunted, but the fact remains there's a possibility that the haunting story was
faked to renew interest in a failing site (the report of the sighting was registered less than a year before the closure
of the park). Although most folks respect the ruins and go there to do legitimate research, there are still
many that go there merely to mock and belittle the efforts of a man who had nothing but a good heart. For examples of these
folks, click on these links to photos taken by a quote-unquote legitimate society:
If you're interested in historical photos of Holy Land USA
before and shortly after its construction, click on:
Tom informed us that the Diocese has put the land up for
sale and that there is a possibility that the new developers (whoever they might be) will simply plow under all remaining
vestiges of what once was Holy Land USA. If that happens, yet another American icon will be lost forever, preserved
only in old photographs and brochures. GHOST members are hoping for a miracle,
that some wealthy individual with a healthy respect for history and a sincere interest in religion will purchase the
land outright, refurbish and restore the park's displays and reopen to the public once again one of Waterbury's most intriguing
attractions. As for the ghostly woman, perhaps she left the park in a phantom car because there was nothing left
for her to haunt.
GOOSEBUMP FACTOR: 0
Barry A. A. Dillinger
October 31st, 2005
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| The Site of the Crucifixion: Jesus' right arm has been vandalized |
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| Jesus on the Cross |
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| The cross from a mile away that same night! |
UPDATE: Today,
the famous Holy Land cross has seen its final sunrise. Sadly, the cross has been knocked down, a crane arm rudely standing
in its place. We have not gone up to the site to gaze upon the destruction, but we are now quite confident that the
remnants of Holy Land USA have finally been found by the wrecking ball and the land most likely sold off to the highest bidding
contractor. Perhaps we will witness the emergence of apartments or cul-de-sac cookie cut-out manors in the coming months.
Get up there while you still can to see the ruins. It'll definitely be worth your while.
April 8th, 2008
UPDATE: I have just received an
e-mail from someone who has further information on the removal of the Holy Land cross. Happily, the news of the cross
being taken down forever was premature. It appears that the cross was removed in order to refurbish it and to replace
by the end of June. We are extremely excited to hear the news and hope that our informer, Pauline, who wishes she had
the money herself to buy the land and build the park up to its former splendor, may get her wish in the near future.
Perhaps she'll be able to set up a "Save Holy Land" fundraiser where the money will go to the restoration of this great piece
of Americana. We'll do everything in our power to help with such a venture.
April 10th, 2008
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