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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 foot tall cross was designed and built by Frank Veto Lyman in 1956. It was replaced in 1968 and then again in 2008. It was once lit up purple for Lent and red for the Christmas season. It is now lit with spotlights rather than being lit from within. Holy Land closed in 1984 and the statues and structures are now in very poor shape. These photos are from around 2001. In 2013, plans were announced to restore the park. A new cross has been installed. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, and 4.

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