Why Is This Field Full of Huge Presidents? | Short Film Showcase
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.พ. 2025
- Howard Hankins is on a quest to save the U.S. Presidents. In 2013, he rescued 43 enormous busts from a failed tourist attraction near his Virginia farm. Watching the 20-foot tall statues crumble in his field, Hankins dreams of one day restoring them to their former glory. In this quirky short film by Adam Roffman, meet the unlikely hero working to preserve these “giants of men” and hear his patriotic enthusiasm for America's great leaders.
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Learn more about Howard Hankins' Presidential Experience project.
thepresidential...
Why Is This Field Full of Huge Presidents? | Short Film Showcase
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I hope that this guy gets some money to restore these statues and put them to good use! It's such a shame that they're wasting away in a field :(
Sekela N obviously not going to happen seeing how he paid out his own pocket to move them
there’s tours going on now!
@@bribenjamin9774Really? I live close by and would love to take my sons to go and see them!
The level of detail on those ties is impressive.
It's a shame that they couldn't move these statues into Washington D.C., I know there is not much space there, but it would have been cool if they put one head around different places in DC and there could be like a scavenger hunt to find every presidential head while touring around DC
YourOldGrandpa
That is a great idea
Awesome idea right
true
Fr those statues are legendary and rare 😔
YES OMG
For years I witnessed these sculptures being made one by one as I passed through a warehouse district in Houston TX. I’m pretty sure the artist lives and operates out of Houston. 3 of these busts were also displayed near downtown Houston on Interstate 45. I always enjoyed seeing them and was saddened to see them leave the city and state.
He does! His name is David Adickes. He now has a studio in the 77020 zip code and at 94 years old, he’s still going strong. He also did make a full size (20 ft) Obama statue like the guy mentioned in the video, but it was kept in his old studio location in the Heights behind the Target on Taylor St.
Every couple of years, we drive behind that Target store and walk around the statues. They even have a stylized Beatles statue there. Neat place!
Houstonian here. I’ve seen them around as well. I think there’s a bunch off of 288 south too.
He must be the same person that made the Sam Houston statue on 45
Fascinating! I never knew these statues existed! They're magnificent, and yes, they should be both preserved and displayed for people to enjoy and learn.
Whoever did the sculpting sure did an excellent job, they're amazing looking. Kind of creepy too.
I would pay big bucks to see these in person! Please do something with them
You can tour them where they were moved to, they are in varying degree of decay. I’m going in April.
5:27 Crazily enough, Grover Cleveland had to have his upper left part of his jawbone removed with about 5 teeth. If you take a close look at the statue, that's exactly where the area of his facial is fractured.
It is remarkable how much interest this gathers. Much more in its current state than when it was in a park.
I did my own cinematic video on this location and other interesting places nearby! I wish I had seen this beforehand though, so much interesting history about the place. Big shoutout to Howard for taking care of these guys, they’re truly a breathtaking sight to behold
i guess you could say that this project was a
huge bust.
i'll take my self out
LOL XD
I guess you could say the park was a
Presidential failure
HA 69 likes
And it was also ... a head of its time.
Stop looking at my bust
First learned of the artist David Adickes back in '88 during one of my many Galveston ventures where they had just moved huge trumpet sculpture David made for the '84 Louisiana World’s Fair Exposition in New Orleans. Found out years after that he was the one that also did the big 36 ft tall cellist sculpture called 'Virtuoso' I had seen many times that originally went up in front of the Lyric Centre in downtown Houston in '83, then the huge 67 ft Sam Houston statue right on the side of I-45 in Huntsville in the early 90's (he was actually born in Huntsville). Amazing artist & local treasure for sure. Virtuoso is one of my all time fave sculptures.
I just took a random photo of 3 president statues driving through Houston 3 weeks ago - didn't know they were part of this collection. So awesome!
I would be terrified to walk here 😂😂😂
i live very close to this park and its cool to go there even tho its abadoned
DoubleDipYT even if tho indeed
Doctor Robotnik lmao Idk why I typed if
lol 😂
DoubleDipYT What's the location? Address? Latitude, longitude coordinates?
Dixon Adair Google.com
Someone make this go viral get this man's some money
It always amazes me at how smart our presidents were in the early US. Like, really unique guys with what they knew, thought, and would think. Looking at these days, a lot of the presidents just seem... underwhelming at best.
TheAnthery It's because we are used to them as we know a lot more about them as beings rather than mysterious ones. In about 200 years, presidents today would be more mythical than presidents during their time. You remember James Buchanan? Probably not, he was considered one of the worst presidents to date (before the civil war) but was still considered a legend today.
and because all the underwhelming ones aren't remembered only the great ones
To be fair, Buchanan was one of the most politically qualified presidents in history. Before his presidency, he was the Minster to Russia, a Senator, Secretary of State and the Ambassador to the UK. He, like John Adams, didn't have a great presidency despite his qualifications coming into office.
ihavepotatopie Because both in the end were just too stubborn. They were self-righteous blow hards that refused to compromise to get things done. Adams was a brillant, but self centered man, and Buchanan a man that even as the country fell apart around him, refused to lead to save it due to prinicples. Leadership is of the moment...Washington, FDR, Lincoln had the courage to lead when a crisis arose, putting party and pettiness last, country first.
TheAnthery they were only smart for that time period
How and where do i donate to what! this patriotic man is doing?
Luv it.
Learn more about Howard Hankins' Presidential Experience project.
thepresidentialexperience.com/
I wish i could collect them , these statues are important and i like how time has taken its toll on the statues and the faces its almost creepy but cool.
We went on a field trip to the heads when they were still at the Presidents Park in Williamsburg when I was in elementary school. It was right after the 2008 Presidential Election, so I was disappointed that there was no Barack Obama statue. Even then, although the park was open, it was in disrepair and some of the statues were already falling apart, obviously lacking proper maintenance as well. You could see them from a road and on-ramp onto Interstate 64, and I always dreamed of seeing them up close before that, but was a bit let down that they were in such poor condition.
Such a shame this died to the recession, i hope they get restored and displayed once again. Also, Andrew Jackson's parrot story was hilarious and pure badassery!
4:23 The back of George Washington's neck has a huge piece missing from it. In actuality, he died from bloodletting... do to a sore throat that he mysteriously awoke from at 2 am.
he should sell them to sombody who has the means/resources to do something with them
He did ask for input and help.
Hector Jose Zapata Casanova that IS my input
Jackal In Hide and where do you reside?
Jackal In Hide doubt it bud
Creepy - love the music though :)
DAVID ADICKES is the sculptor of these fabulous pieces which should be Saved and viewed.
There was a small sign that pointed you to it as you drove down the road
thanks nat geo for once again showing me something in the world i never knew existed
Maybe the person that won the powerball can spare a dime to make this park. Our children maybe inspired to learn politics and become something this country needs.
That close up though.
Thank you for not destroying them.
I couldn't believe it when I heard about the fate of the park, and these statues.... I remember my dad taking me on a trip to Williamsburg Virginia as a kid. I went to that park.... Now that I think of it, It said this park closed in 2010. That was the year I went I think.... That is so crazy!
And that's the origin of the Futurama's Head Museum (Hall of Presidents)...
This truly is a shame they are rotting basically. The artist worked so hard on those I would assume and man did he/she do a wonderful job on them. I love the way that they created the eyes. They look so real from a distance.
Please do restore these I would love to someday when I have kids to take them some were like this
Nice, facinating
Hmmm that Lincoln statue head 🤔🤔🤔
2wo Man Move. Yeah, very eerie right...??? If you also take a look at Grover Cleveland's statue at 5:27, you'll notice that the upper left part of his jaw is cracked... during the cancer surgery that the owner mentioned, that's exactly the same area where they performed the facial reconstruction procedure at for him in real life.
I hope this one day reopens, where ever it has is I'd go to see it.
You can tour them in thier decaying state. There’s a guy that does tours.
These sculptures are well built. I wonder how much it cost to build these .
I can only imagine what it will be like when people find these in a couple thousand years
Sadly won’t last. Luckily they may still be able to see remains of the accent ruins.
Modern material structure is much weaker.
I saw these in person!!!!
Just makes me think of classic Twilight Zone.
"That's real good what you done there, Donny.. Wishing Spicer into the Presidents Field.. a real good thing, Donny!"
Aw good on him. I hope he's able to open up a new park. That would be really awesome!! I would definitely come and visit if I go to Virginia
I hope this film results in a new park. Thank you!
I visited these statues in 2022. Sadly, they’ve deteriorated a lot more in the 5 years since
I hope he succeeds with his fundraiser, I would definitely visit the park
We have this in downtown Houston too
Make this field a landmark
Wow. They are amazing. Where is the farm? I need to see it
Near Williamsburg Virginia
Great video!
That is so awesome!
I wish I knew the park existed! Dang hopefully the new one and they can be restored.
I would totally go to see this.
This guy should have one too⬆️
I've watched a few videos about these heads and no one mentions the artist, or the original cost of all these heads. I got to think it took someone, or a team, years to make them.
The artist is named David Adickes. He’s currently 94 years old and he lives and operates out of Houston Texas. He still has a studio there with lots of presidents and other artwork on display. He even did 36 foot tall Beatles statues, a huge Charlie Chaplin one, and some other pieces that are on display in Texas and other states.
These needs to be restored and put in WASHINGTON D.C!!!!!! PERIOD!!!!!
These apparently just exist????? Cool!!!!
So cool 😎
Looks good how it is. Could make a creepy tourist attraction
My daughter and I wanted to see these when they were in the park. We kept putting the trip off!😞
Wonderful video, thank you !!!! You did not mention where the sculptures were made . They were made in Mexico. In Tonalá, next to Guadalajara.
No they werent
Texas
Can somebody donate to this man so I can go to the park? I like American history.
Waw Muito Lindo!
Nobody’s gonna realize the picture at 1:35 has four pieces on a trailer, estimated weight was 20k lbs?! No way a Ford dually f350 could pull that much weight.
The creepiest thing about it is that only Abraham Lincoln was the most damaged
Where is this located
Don't let the statue smashers know they are there!!
Great place to shoot a movie
This would be awesome to have a president park for the bust. So sad to see them sit.
It does look like theyre staring at you! Wish I could see this but I live an ocean away :(
oh i lived down the road from those heads when it was in the park lmao
Are they safe to climb on? Asking for a friend...
Cool
awesome, you can move those with a ramp truck ( putting a Sled underneath them),. and then repair them. its too easy. And its worth allot of money
it should be renovated, and develop the area like a garden..
I'd say repair them and sell/donate them to the presidential libraries of each president that has one.
Just add a little bit of water and your giant chia pet will grow in 1 week !
There’s a gang of these in and around Houston for some super strange reason.
I wanna come visit this
You can tour it.
@@RobRVA I’m definitely planning for my next trip
@@solodolotaurus I’m touring it in April. Thirty bucks, two hour tour.
@@RobRVA oh wow definitely worth it please post your trip somehow
@@solodolotaurus I’ll put some video on youtube and tiktok.
I lived a few blocks from this place, the whole town knew he was wasting his money.
Did anyone else come here from TikTok?
No doubt Mr. Trump emphasized so much on the word Huge.
Covfeffe..
who wouldn't want to make their mark like legends long long ago? 🤔
Have fiberglass molds made of them so they can be reproduced and possibly sold to museums , Parks.
At the least have them digitally scanned That way they could be reproduced at any size. the originals are probably not going to survive
Are all statues 20 feet tall?
Irony all the former presidents slowly crumbling as the foundation of what they all stood for crumbles currently in our Nation.
I’m no political person because of god but the presidents themselves are so amazing
where is Underwood?)))
Or Harrison Ford.
5:24 The very tip of James Garfield's schnoz is gone... wierd thing is, he was known for being a "nose thumber" in real life.
What would be cool is to send the buses to each state that the president is from
So odd, that they haven't moved them to DC. It would actually make sense to move them there.
Has no one told this guy about how to open a go fund me account
Where is the place
Croaker, Virginia near Colonial Williamsburg. The site is a private property and not open to visitors.
Magnificent Artworks!! The World would love to tour them. They are Valuable beyond measure!!! Historic!!!! Thank you for saving them PATRIOT!!!
GOD BLESS YOU ALWAYS SIR. President Trump is Making donations to a park to restore it now. Maybe he will put this on the List!!! BLESSINGS...✌. 💞🚂🚃🚃🚃💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!!!!! Prayers for you Sir!!!💞💞💞💞💞
trump is closing parks to dig for coal.
Beverly Cook has no idea:
goo.gl/cAUgQx
Funny how you'd never find anything about the park ever there's no park that ever existed
The problem is the concept: Not every president is worthy of the same level of attention. Harding, Nixon and Buchanan all held the office, but they might not merit the same amount of reverence of a Lincoln or an FDR...Identically scaled heads put them all at an identical level. ....Also, from aesthetic standpoint, giant disembodied heads can be off-putting to the viewer, and it gives kids the creeps....
Hope someone with the means can help him
But is it a pokestop?
Ngl this gives me anxiety up close
The park never existed no one ever went so where did these heads come from and why did they make them
I'm surprised don't make a president park with these in 2022