42 giant statues of presidents' heads are crumbling on private property in rural Virginia. Here's why.

• In Croaker, Virginia, decaying statues of presidential heads regularly attract tourists.
• Since Presidents Park in Williamsburg closed in 2010, the statues have sat on private property.
• Tours of the statues are offered periodically, and their home may get a makeover in the future.

They also caught the attention of Plashal, whose work as a photographer aligned with the statues.

Plashal has a passion for capturing abandoned places, especially in Virginia, where his work is based. One of the photographer’s goals is to “photograph and document places that offer beauty in decay and unique histories,” according to his website. The heads were a perfect match.

Plashal especially enjoyed capturing images of the heads at night, when he could photograph them against the stars, giving them back some of the majesty they may have lost as they decay.

He soon realized the heads were more special than they let on.

Plashal, who had already gained some success as a photographer and storyteller, was approached by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts to be an adjunct speaker.

“They sent me around the state to storytell about all the history of the abandoned places that I find and document and photograph,” Plashal said.

He realized he could apply this storytelling ability to the abandoned heads.

Plashal decided to help Hankins give the heads a new life.

As Hankins had already spent a small fortune saving the statues from destruction, Plashal agreed they could serve a greater purpose than sitting in a field. From the social media attention and in-person visitors, he also knew the demand was there.

But because they were on Hankins’ private property, Plashal said, all the visitors were trespassing when they came to see the heads up close, perhaps not realizing the property was private.

“A lot of people think the statues reside in a wheat field or something,” Plashal said.

He came up with a plan to conduct tours of the heads on Hankins’ property.

The first tour, held in 2019, was met with enthusiasm.

“I approached Hankins about doing it because the presidents’ heads are the ultimate abandoned place in Virginia — if not the world — and it blew up,” said Plashal, pictured above giving a tour in 2019.

The heads in their current state are much more popular than Presidents Park ever was.

“There’s a lot of people who want to see these things,” Plashal told Hankins.

Because Hankins had legal concerns about the potentially dangerous nature of the heads, Plashal has guests sign waiver forms before entering the property.

Tours are still offered periodically.

Plashal offers paid tours of the attraction on a limited basis, both during the day as well as a nighttime tour, “Night of the Presidents Heads.”

Stories and facts about the heads are shared, and guests can win prizes in a presidential trivia game.

A recent vote could’ve given the heads’ home a proper makeover.

In June, the county’s Board of Supervisors voted on a rezoning project which, in addition to partially restoring the sculptures and turning the heads into a proper attraction, would’ve added a museum, housing units, and commercial space in the land around the statues.

However, the board “voted 3-2 to take no action on the project,” WTKR News reported. The board plans to reevaluate the proposal again in the fall, but Hankins said he’s in no rush.

“I believe when it’s right, it will happen — so I can’t worry about it,” Hankins told WTKR News.

Plashal believes the heads will attract interested visitors for years to come, turning the site into an Easter Island of North America.

“It meant a lot to me to preserve history,” Hankins told National Geographic in 2017.