Holy Land USA

Holy Land USA was an 18-acre (73,000 m2) theme park in Waterbury, Connecticut inspired by selected passages from the Bible. The attraction has been closed to the public since 1984, but its grounds remain intact.

Holy Land USA was conceived by John Baptist Greco, a Waterbury-based attorney. Greco, a Roman Catholic, organized a volunteer organization called Companions of Christ, with the purpose of creating an attraction that would replicate the Bethlehem and Jerusalem of the Biblical era.^[1] Bob Chinn, the grounds chairman at Holy Land USA, recalled Greco’s mission in a 2001 interview with The New York Times: "He was a very spiritual man. He wanted to do this for the people of the community. He felt no one, no matter the race, creed or color, should be separated. He wanted a place for all people to sit and be peaceful."^[1]

Among the attractions at the site were a recreation of the Garden of Eden, a diorama depicting Daniel in the lions’ den, and various recreations of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. The centerpiece of the site was a 56-foot cross and an illuminated sign that read “Holy Land USA.”^[2]

During its peak years in the 1960s and 1970s, Holy Land USA attracted upwards of 40,000 visitors annually.^[1] Greco closed Holy Land USA in 1984, with plans to improve and expand the site. But after Greco died in 1986, the property was willed to the Religious Sisters of Filippi Greco.^[1]

Since its closure, Holy Land USA has fallen into a state of advanced disrepair. Although it is not open to the public, many people have been able to gain access to the unsecured grounds. As a result, the attractions and statues at the site have either been vandalized or ruined by inclement weather.^[3]

Over the years, efforts have been made to restore certain sections of the site. In 1997, a group of Boy Scouts working towards their Eagle badges repaired the illuminated “Holy Land USA” sign as part of a community service project.^[3]In April 2008, the 56-foot cross was removed from the site and replaced with a 50-foot stainless steel cross that was dedicated on June 18, 2008, in a ceremony presided over by Archbishop Henry J. Mansell of the Archdiocese of Hartford, Connecticut.^[4]

Although no plans have been announced on whether Holy Land USA will reopen or will be razed, the site still attracts attention. The Waterbury Region Convention and Visitors Bureau still receives more than 150 calls a year for directions to the site.^[2] The web site Roadside America has included it its coverage offbeat attractions, albeit with the cautionary note that visitors should “explore with caution (and with an up-to-date tetanus shot).”^[3]