4. Walt Disney's Boyhood Farm

Location: Marceline, Missouri

Planned in: 1950s - 1960s

Theme: Working turn-of-the-century farm

The background

The happiest period in Walt's childhood was the time he spent living on a farm with his family in Marceline, Missouri. It became the template for a key element of Disneyland, Main Street USA, which is designed to resemble a turn-of-the-century American town. The city also provided inspiration for the animated classic Lady and the Tramp.

Tiny Marceline seems like an unlikely spot for Disney to develop an attraction. However, at the time of Walt's death in 1966 he was seriously pursuing such a project. He had teamed up with local businessman Rush Johnson, who had set up a non-profit foundation to buy up the old Disney farm and numerous surrounding properties. These were subsequently sold on to Walt Disney Productions.

The plans

The resulting attraction, sometimes referred to as Walt Disney's Boyhood Farm, would not have been another Disneyland.

Instead, it would have been a working “living history” farm, employing methods from the early 20th century. Visitors would be able to learn about agriculture and the origins of the food on their plates, as well as enjoying the simple pleasures of country living.

Little is known about the proposed attractions, but some reports suggest that guests would have seen pigs, chickens, horses, cows, orchards and fields of grain, along with a swimming hole.

What went wrong?

Walt and Johnson corresponded about the project for over a decade, and Walt even kept a map of Marceline on the desk of his office in Burbank. In mid-1966, he donated Disneyland's Midget Autopia ride to the city after it was removed from the park.

Walt died before his Boyhood Farm project could come to fruition, but his brother and business partner Roy continued to pursue it. However, he was focused primarily on completing Walt Disney World, and died shortly after its opening in 1971. Following Roy's death, the Disney company abandoned the Marceline project, and sold the land back to Johnson. He gave it to his daughter as a wedding gift.

The legacy

While the project didn't go ahead, its philosophy of teaching guests where their food comes from was continued by EPCOT Center’s The Land Pavilion.

When it opened, Disney's California Adventure featured Bountiful Valley Farm, similarly designed to teach kids where food comes from. This was closed to create room for the Cars Land expansion in 2010.