| Holy Land USA |
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| Holy Land USA is an abandoned 18 acre park in Waterbury, CT. It opened in 1958 as Bethlehem Village, representing a miniature Jerusalem and Bethlehem. It was one of Connecticut's biggest tourist attractions in the 1960s and 1970s with 50,000 visitors per year. Holy Land was built by John Baptist Greco, a Waterbury lawyer. The 50' cross was designed and built by Frank Veto Lyman in 1956. It was replaced in 1968. The cross was once lit up purple for Lent and red for the Christmas season. Holy Land closed in 1984 and the plaster, wire caves, and structures are now in miserable shape. Some local residents would like the place to be restored while others want it razed and turned into a park. The cross, which is highly visible from I-84, was replaced in 2008. It is lit with spotlights rather than being lit from within. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. |
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