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After concept plans for Disney's America were drawn up for the history-based attraction in 1993, it became Michael Eisner's pet project,[1] and he even obtained the support of outgoing Governor L. Douglas Wilder (D) and incoming Governor George Allen (R), as well as the Virginia Commission on Population Growth and Development.[2]. Eventually it was scrapped, as well as other early 1990s Disney projects, WestCOT and Port Disney. [edit] Themed areas
The plans for Disney's America called for nine distinctly themed areas:
Crossroads USA - A Civil War-era village that would serve as the hub of Disney's America. Guests would enter under an 1840s train trestle, which featured antique steam trains that circled the park.
Native America - A recreation of a Native American village that would have reflected the tribes that were known in that part of the country. Guests would have also enjoyed interactive experiences, exhibits and arts and crafts, as well as a white water river raft ride that travelled throughout the area, based on the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Civil War Fort - A Civil War fort would have plunged guests into a more turbulent time of American history, and adjacent to it, a replica battlefield where Civil War re-enactments and water battles between the Monitor and the Merrimac would have once again been fought.
We The People - Moving into the 20th century, a replica of the Ellis Island building, which acted as the gateway to America for many immigrants in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Guests would have lived the "immigrant experience" through music, ethnic foods and a live show presentation.
State Fair - An area that was going to show how even during the Great Depression in the 1930s, Americans knew how to entertain themselves. With folk art exhibits and a live show on baseball, guests could also have enjoyed classic wooden thrill rides reminiscent of Coney Island.
Family Farm - A recreation of an authentic farm where guests could have had the opportunity to see different types of farm industries related to food production in addition to some hands-on experiences like milking cows and learning what homemade ice cream tasted like.
President's Square - A celebration of the birth of democracy and those who fought to preserve it. The Hall of Presidents from Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World would have been moved to this section of Disney's America.
Enterprise - A mock factory town, it would have highlighted American ingenuity where guests could have ridden a major roller coaster attraction called the "Industrial Revolution", traveling through a 19th century landscape with heavy industry and blast furnaces. And, on either side of the coaster would have been exhibits of famous American technology that defined the American industry in the past, and new developments that would have defined industries in the future.
Victory Field - Guests would have experienced what America's soldiers faced in the defense of freedom during the world wars. It would have been themed to resemble an air field with a series of hangars containing attractions based on America's military fight using virtual reality technology. The air field would have also served as an exhibit area of planes from different periods, as well as a place for major flying exhibitions. Soarin' from Epcot and Disney's California Adventure was originally proposed for this area.
Some of these concepts were slightly re-themed and made their way into Disney's California Adventure including the Bountiful Valley Farm (Family Farm), Grizzly River Run (Lewis and Clark Expedition raft ride), California Screamin' (State Fair roller coaster ride) as well as Condor Flats (Victory Field). [edit] Proposed conversion of Knott’s Berry Farm
A conversion of Knott's Berry Farm, near California's Disneyland, into Disney’s America was later drafted shortly after the Knott family announced that they would soon take bids for the property. The idea for the conversion reportedly came from the exact replica of Independence Hall which sits in the parking lot of Knott’s Berry Farm.
The plan called for stretching out the park’s entrance across the street over to Independence Hall. The new entrance to the park would then be built to resemble Liberty Square located at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World, though the name of the entrance would have been referred to as "Presidents' Square." The major attraction for this area would have included “The Hall of Presidents.”
Another section of the park would have included the “Native American” territories as it was to pay tribute to the history of America’s native people. The area would have included the area at which the Mystery Lodge, Indian Trail, as well as Bigfoot Rapids are currently located. Along with that, Bigfoot Rapids would have had its name changed to “The Lewis & Clark River Expedition,” which was a similar attraction proposed for the original park. This idea was eventually scrapped because the Imagineers felt it was an "inconsistent hybrid of thrills and education."
Other proposed ideas would have been the conversion of the former Roaring '20s section into the “Enterprise” territory. Reflection Lake would have been converted to Freedom Bay, and would have showcased a recreation of the Ellis Island immigration center. Finally, the Old Ghost Town section of the park would have been left much the same way as it had always been. Camp Snoopy and Fiesta Village would more than likely have been converted into different “territories” as well.
The project was eventually canceled due to a number of reasons. One reason was a lack of a practical means to transport guests from the current Disneyland Resort over to Disney’s America, ruling out that a monorail system would be far too expensive, also noting that bus transportation would be a nightmare. The main factor was that the Knott family had rejected Disney's bid since they were afraid that the Imagineers would replace much of what their parents had originally put into the park. Ironically, Cedar Fair (the company that bought Knott's Berry Farm two years later) removed more original features from the park than Disney's plans would have done.[3] [edit] Controversy
The proposed park would have been built near Civil War battlefields, shattering the solemnity of the area and perhaps causing damage to the historical properties. Controversy further arose as claims were charged that Disney was participating in "corporate history" by selling knowledge of past events that would deliberately be skewed and toned down for entertainment and not historical accuracy. The site is now home to Dominion Valley Country Club as well as numerous other business and housing developments, creating a measure of the congestion and environmental damage that anti-Disney activists fought against.
I still have a bumper sticker from back then....it reads..."66, Disney's Parking Lot". That about sums it up.
As bad as you think NOVA traffic is today, it has always been bad...and while less population back then, roads were fewer too. The building of new roads if quickly absorbed by an influx of new cars, visitors, residents...and nowadays, illegals.
Secondly, there's a reason Disney built it's massive theme park in a swamp in Orlando...it was dirt cheap with no real historical value. Contrast to the historic battlefields, mountains, farmlands..rich in heritage and history, to be "disneyfied", did n0t sit well with may of the "locals" like me with deep roots in the region. And the way Disney furtively went about it, did not sit well.
Sure, sprawl has crawled into parts of that area, but that has evolved over time (doesn't make it right), while Disney woudl have been instant, in your face impact had it moved forward. Disney got chased back like the yanks did in 1st and 2nd Battle's of Manassas, only they never came back. I love Disney, but not here. Let them have there hotel at National Harbour....an interesting concept that will grow stale in short time
I still have a bumper sticker from back then....it reads..."66, Disney's Parking Lot". That about sums it up.
As bad as you think NOVA traffic is today, it has always been bad...and while less population back then, roads were fewer too. The building of new roads if quickly absorbed by an influx of new cars, visitors, residents...and nowadays, illegals.
Secondly, there's a reason Disney built it's massive theme park in a swamp in Orlando...it was dirt cheap with no real historical value. Contrast to the historic battlefields, mountains, farmlands..rich in heritage and history, to be "disneyfied", did n0t sit well with may of the "locals" like me with deep roots in the region. And the way Disney furtively went about it, did not sit well.
Sure, sprawl has crawled into parts of that area, but that has evolved over time (doesn't make it right), while Disney woudl have been instant, in your face impact had it moved forward. Disney got chased back like the yanks did in 1st and 2nd Battle's of Manassas, only they never came back. I love Disney, but not here. Let them have there hotel at National Harbour....an interesting concept that will grow stale in short time
I like Disney too but sure was glad when they didn't end up building in Haymarket. That would have been a disaster. I was here during that time but living in Manassas and remember it well. I live in Gainesville now and can't imagine what traffic would be like there if Disney had built.
I like Disney too but sure was glad when they didn't end up building in Haymarket. That would have been a disaster. I was here during that time but living in Manassas and remember it well. I live in Gainesville now and can't imagine what traffic would be like there if Disney had built.
So rather than a theme park, we've settled for thousands of tract homes filled with commuters commuting in the same direction at the same time of the thousands of other commuters heading to Reston and Tysons. If Disney's America had been approved, the state had already passed legislation to widen 66 to Rt 15 by 1998. And here we are today in 2010 with them still working on widening to Rt 29. Anybody who fought the Disney project and then laid down and let the housing developers roll over them clearly had other interests besides traffic and historic preservation.
I like Disney too but sure was glad when they didn't end up building in Haymarket. That would have been a disaster. I was here during that time but living in Manassas and remember it well. I live in Gainesville now and can't imagine what traffic would be like there if Disney had built.
Bet you can't imagine what your home value would have been either....
So rather than a theme park, we've settled for thousands of tract homes filled with commuters commuting in the same direction at the same time of the thousands of other commuters heading to Reston and Tysons. If Disney's America had been approved, the state had already passed legislation to widen 66 to Rt 15 by 1998. And here we are today in 2010 with them still working on widening to Rt 29. Anybody who fought the Disney project and then laid down and let the housing developers roll over them clearly had other interests besides traffic and historic preservation.
This is the true disappointment of the whole thing. They essentially DID sell out, but instead of provided thousands of jobs, they provided just another NoVA bedroom community...
This is the true disappointment of the whole thing. They essentially DID sell out, but instead of provided thousands of jobs, they provided just another NoVA bedroom community...
Congrats!!!
I think it turned out well. It may be cool to sneer at real estate developments, but the simple truth is people are moving here and they need to live somewhere. If people are buying the homes there then there is a need for those communities.
As for Disney, it's funny to remember those days. I was in favor of the project, but not the location. I thought they should have put it out near Remington or maybe Culpeper and avoided the whole battlefield controversy. I still wouldn't mind seeing something like that built here, as long as the developers contribute a hefty amount to widening the roads leading to it.
One problem with a project like that would be finding employees. How many people in Nova would be willing to work for minimum wage at an amusement park?
Civil War Fort - A Civil War fort would have plunged guests into a more turbulent time of American history, and adjacent to it, a replica battlefield where Civil War re-enactments and water battles between the Monitor and the Merrimac would have once again been fought.
I mean there are so many real battlefields, with massive NPS interpretation etc. And reenactments, though not every day. And no Monitor - Merrimack reenactments, that I know of.
We The People - Moving into the 20th century, a replica of the Ellis Island building, which acted as the gateway to America for many immigrants in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Guests would have lived the "immigrant experience" through music, ethnic foods and a live show presentation.
5 hours away the real Ellis Island has been renovated as a huge museum. No ethnic foods on the island, IIRC, but plenty back in Manhattan - when you get off the boat ride.
State Fair - An area that was going to show how even during the Great Depression in the 1930s, Americans knew how to entertain themselves. With folk art exhibits and a live show on baseball, guests could also have enjoyed classic wooden thrill rides reminiscent of Coney Island.
5 hours away is Coney Island. I think there are a bunch of folk art museums in DC, and also in NY. Baseball museum in Baltimore and of course Cooperstown. Plus, thanks to Wall Street, we have a revival of the Great Depression for your entertainment.
Family Farm - A recreation of an authentic farm where guests could have had the opportunity to see different types of farm industries related to food production in addition to some hands-on experiences like milking cows and learning what homemade ice cream tasted like.
Farm inns, farm museums, etc across the region, from Amish country to Westminter Md to various parts of Va, I think.
President's Square - A celebration of the birth of democracy and those who fought to preserve it. The Hall of Presidents from Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World would have been moved to this section of Disney's America.
Well its true, Disney is the go to gang for audioanimatronic presidents. Still when you have first lady gowns, do you need this?
Enterprise - A mock factory town, it would have highlighted American ingenuity where guests could have ridden a major roller coaster attraction called the "Industrial Revolution", traveling through a 19th century landscape with heavy industry and blast furnaces. And, on either side of the coaster would have been exhibits of famous American technology that defined the American industry in the past, and new developments that would have defined industries in the future.
Smithsonian museum of Amer history has lots of this, minus the roller coaster. And there are factory tours in some parts of the region - Crayola at Easton PA springs to mind, Im sure there are others. And in Chicago you can go into a coal mine in the museum of science and industry. Still, I like the idea of the heavy industry roller coaster. Maybe instead of making a mock one, use a real rusting steel mill, in Baltimore or Lehigh for that.
Victory Field - Guests would have experienced what America's soldiers faced in the defense of freedom during the world wars. It would have been themed to resemble an air field with a series of hangars containing attractions based on America's military fight using virtual reality technology. The air field would have also served as an exhibit area of planes from different periods, as well as a place for major flying exhibitions. Soarin' from Epcot and Disney's California Adventure was originally proposed for this area.
LOL, if they were to build a history-themed park today, at least one of the roller coasters would be devoted to current history. Ride the RECESSION, the scariest roller coaster ever!!!! You can also take a boat ride over Unemployment Falls, and then try out the scary new Stock Market ride! It goes up, it goes down, it will make you sick to your stomach!
LOL, if they were to build a history-themed park today, at least one of the roller coasters would be devoted to current history. Ride the RECESSION, the scariest roller coaster ever!!!! You can also take a boat ride over Unemployment Falls, and then try out the scary new Stock Market ride! It goes up, it goes down, it will make you sick to your stomach!
HA!
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