9. Disney's America

Location: Haymarket, Virginia

Planned in: Early 1990s

Theme: History of America

Lands: Crossroads USA, Native America, Presidents' Square, We The People, Enterprise, State Fair, Family Farm, Victory Field

The background

The abject performance of Euro Disneyland following its 1992 debut led to the cancellation of a number of Disney projects. One was still set to go ahead, though – partly thanks to its status as CEO Michael Eisner’s pet project, and partly due to its relatively low price tag.

Walt Disney had long been keen to educate Disneyland visitors about the history of the USA, and following a visit to Colonial Williamsburg, Eisner was inspired to dedicate an entire new park to that subject.

Eventually, the Disney Development Company identified a suitable site on land in Haymarket, most of it owned by oil company Exxon. Disney secured a long-term option on the 3,000-acre site, just 20 miles away from downtown Washington, D.C – a prime spot to attract historical tourists. On November 11, 1993, Disney announced plans to build its third US theme park resort on the site: Disney’s America.

The plans

Eisner and Disney’s Imagineers recognized that the company would be open to accusations of “whitewashing” America’s history, so they decided to include both positive and negative aspects. The attractions would be spread across nine themed lands, referred to as “territories”, each representing a different period in US history.

Crossroads USA (1800-1850)

Inspired by the Civil War era, Crossroads USA would act as the gateway to the park. Here, guests would be able to board one of two antique steam trains that would travel around the park.

Native America (1600-1810)

The Native America area would be developed in tandem with the Pocohontas animated movie, and was to include a village setting similar to that seen in the film. Exhibits would celebrate the culture of multiple Mid-Atlantic tribes, and the Lewis and Clark Expedition white water raft ride would headline the area.

Presidents' Square (1750-1800)

Inspired by the colonial area, Presidents’ Square would have featured a clone of the Magic Kingdom’s Hall of Presidents audio-animatronic show.

Civil War Fort (1850-1870)

Civil War re-enactments were to be held here, as well as recreations of water-borne battles between battleships on Freedom Bay. A Circle-Vision 360 movie would depict scenes from the battlefield.

We The People (1870-1930)

This territory would be a recreation of New York’s Ellis Island, focusing on sharing the immigrant experience. A show would depict how conflicting cultures helped shape America, and could possibly have been a musical featuring the Muppets. Ethnic food and music would add to the atmosphere.

Enterprise (1870-1930)

Enterprise was to be a recreation of an American factory town. At one stage, it was to be dominated by the Industrial Revolution roller coaster, a thrilling ride around a steel mill.

State Fair (1930-1945)

This recreation of 1930s Coney Island would host attractions such as a 60-foot Ferris Wheel and a wooden roller coaster. It would also be home to an old-fashioned baseball park, where legendary greats would have taken part in exhibition games.

Family Farm (1930-1945)

Similar in concept to the Walt Disney’s Boyhood Farm attraction once planned for Marceline, the Family Farm would have featured exhibits allowing guests to learn about harvesting crops, milking cows and making home-made ice cream.

Victory Field (1940-1945)

Themed around a military airfield from World War II, this was to host an ambitious hang-glider-style simulator ride, Soarin’. It would also boast duelling inverted roller coasters named Dogfighter, themed around German and American planes.

The resort

The theme park would cover only a small fraction of the 3,000-acre site. The long-term plans included a water park, a 27-hole golf course, 300 campsite spots and a 1.3 million square feet retail and entertainment district.

Inside the park itself, a hotel would be themed around a 19th century Civil War-era lodge.

What went wrong?

The plans for Disney’s America immediately stirred up controversy. Even the name was criticized for implying a sense of ownership over the nation’s history. Some academics who initially supported the project were offended by it, leading to Disney to consider alternatives such as “Disney’s American Celebration”.

The climate was another concern, with Virginia’s weather conditions not really conducive to hosting a year-round theme park.

The biggest issue, though, was opposition from powerful families who owned estates in the area. They worked together with historians to oppose Disney’s America, under the guise of a group dubbed Protect Historic America. They argued that the park would lead to historical locations being destroyed. David McCullough, the host for Ken Burns’ Civil War miniseries on PBS, went so far as to compare the building of Disney’s America to the Nazi takeover of Western Europe.

On September 17, 1994, thousands of people marched on Washington to protest against Disney’s America. Shortly afterwards, Disney announced that it was abandoning the new park.

Disney did try to revive the project a few years later, appealing to the owners of California’s Knott’s Berry Farm to accept a bid for the park and allow Disney to convert it into a historical park. The Knott family, however, wanted to maintain the legacy of the park that their parents built, and turned Disney down flat.

The legacy

A number of the concepts intended for Disney’s America found their way into other theme parks. Disney California Adventure features Paradise Pier, similar in concept to the State Fair area. Condor Flats was clearly inspired by Victory Field, and the Soarin’ ride was built as its headline attraction. The park originally featured Bountiful Valley Farm, very similar in concept to Family Farm, before this was closed in 2010.

The Lewis and Clark Expedition white water raft ride was reimagined twice – once as Kali River Rapids at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and again as Kali River Rapids for Disney California Adventure.

Learn more

You can find out more about Disney's America by reading this detailed look at the plans and the opposition to them.