Abandoned Presidents Heads in Virginia (Photos & Info)

One of the most unique sights you can see in Virginia is the abandoned President heads. Located on private property in Croaker, 43 concrete-and-steel busts of nearly every U.S. president (Washington through George W. Bush) sit slowly rotting in a field. Each one stands 18 to 20 feet tall and weighs roughly 20 tons.

The busts were originally part of Presidents Park, an open-air museum that opened in Williamsburg in 2004. Houston sculptor David Adickes designed the heads after a road trip past Mount Rushmore convinced him he could do something bigger at street level. The park struggled financially and closed for good on September 30, 2010.

In December 2012, a local contractor named Howard Hankins was hired to destroy the busts. Instead, he spent about $50,000 of his own money over a week to move all 43 of them 11 miles west to his 400-acre farm in Croaker. That move is also why the heads look the way they do today. To lift each one off its base, a crane had to attach through a hole smashed into the top of each skull, which cracked the necks on the way up. Most of the missing noses, eye damage, and crumbling concrete you see in photos happened during that one week.

One fun detail: FDR’s bust was built 20 percent larger than the others. It exceeded the crane’s 18-ton lifting limit and needed a second crane to get off the ground. The heads have weathered in the Virginia field ever since, and the spot is still private property. Showing up unannounced is not allowed.

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How Can You See the President Heads?

The site has become more accessible in the last few years. There are now two ways to legally visit:

Daytime self-guided tours via thepresidentsheads.com. The recycling business on the property shuts down for around eight weekends per year to allow public access, and tickets are sold in two-hour blocks. Adult tickets typically run $20 to $33, kids 8-17 are $9, and under-7 is free. Tours include optional 25-minute talks on the history and a presidential trivia session.

Night photography tours with John Plashal, the photographer who first got permission from the owner to bring photographers onto the property. John’s night tours are the move if you want light painting, steel wool spinning, LED orbs, and drone light painting around the heads. He also runs daytime non-photography tours.

I did John’s night photography tour and it was easily the highlight. The combination of long-exposure light painting against the 20-foot heads in pitch-dark Virginia farmland is something you can’t shoot anywhere else.

Here’s a short video from my night at the president heads:

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Abandoned Presidents Heads Pictures

Here are photos from my visits to the giant Presidents heads in Virginia, including day and night tours. If you’re planning a visit, I’d recommend bringing a standard zoom (24-70mm) for tighter portrait-style shots of individual heads, and a wide-angle lens for the wider crowd-of-presidents scenes. A drone is great for the aerial shots if you have one and the tour allows it.

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Presidents Heads FAQ

Can you visit the President heads on your own?

No. The heads sit on private property in Croaker, Virginia that doubles as an active recycling business, and trespassing is taken seriously. The only legal way in is via a scheduled tour through thepresidentsheads.com or a photography tour with John Plashal. Showing up unannounced is not allowed and is a fast way to get the tours shut down for everyone else.

Why do all the President heads look damaged?

The damage almost all happened during the 2012 move. To lift each 20-ton bust off its original base, the crew smashed a hole in the top of each head so the crane could hook into a steel frame inside. That cracked the necks, knocked off many of the noses, and left the open-top look you see in most aerial photos. The 13 years of weather sitting in a Virginia field since then have done the rest.

When is the best time of year to photograph the President heads?

Fall is the best season. The light is softer, the air is clearer, and the surrounding Virginia woods turn color behind the heads. Public tour dates tend to cluster in spring and fall (the operating recycling yard makes weather-driven scheduling tough), so check the calendars on thepresidentsheads.com and johnplashalphoto.com a few months ahead.

What camera gear should I bring?

A standard zoom (24-70mm equivalent) covers most of the shots. A wide-angle is useful for the rows-of-presidents scenes. If you’re doing the night tour, bring a sturdy tripod, a remote shutter or intervalometer, and a headlamp with a red mode so you don’t kill anyone’s long exposure. A drone is excellent for the aerial pattern shots if the tour permits it.

How far are the heads from Williamsburg?

About 11 miles west, in the unincorporated community of Croaker. From Colonial Williamsburg it’s roughly a 20-minute drive, so the heads pair naturally with a Williamsburg or Yorktown trip. The Jamestown Settlement is about 25 minutes south if you want a full day of history-themed photography.

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The President heads are one of the strangest, most photogenic sights in the eastern US, and they’re unlikely to last forever. The concrete is degrading every year, and there have been talks of relocating or restoring them as part of a future “Presidential Walk” attraction. Go see them while they’re still standing in this field.

If you want to see the heads yourself, book a daytime tour at thepresidentsheads.com or a night photography workshop with John Plashal.

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