Saturday, September 8, 2007

check out this article, this is one of the locations i want to shoot for my pitch







this is the article for this link http://www.weirdus.com/stories/NC02.asp i did not write this but pasted it to my blog jm


WHEN ART MEETS OVERACTIVE IMAGINATION: ACID PARK, NORTH CAROLINA

While at East Carolina University in Greenville, I heard a story about a place called Acid Park. Legend has it that one night, a girl was on her way home from the prom. She had dropped a little acid, and right as she took the final turn in the road before reaching home, her car ran off the road and wrapped itself around a tree. The girl's grieving father nailed and pasted reflectors to every surface around his home and the turn where his daughter died.

I decided to take a trip to Acid Park with some friends. We drove to Wilson, which is about 30 minutes from Greenville, then took a left down a very dark, desolate (except for the numerous graveyards) road. On the way, my friends told me more about the Park. They said that the car was supposedly still there, with the tree growing up through it. The father ran out of natural surfaces, so he constructed surfaces and covered them with reflectors and reflective tape in all sorts of patterns. They had heard other stories about the girl's ghost appearing near the car and the father chasing off trespassers with a shot gun.

After what seemed like forever, we finally mounted a small hill and the headlights of my car hit the splendor that is Acid Park. The sight of it caused me to stop in the middle of the road. There were reflectors—millions of them everywhere, even in the trees. The effect was enough to thoroughly freak me out. Without investigating any further, we turned tail and ran.

A few years later I heard the real story about Acid Park. It turns out it was actually created by a local artist with a fair amount of fame. So it's not haunted, but it is cool.
– Julie


ACID TRIPPING
Myself and four of my friends here in North Carolina are captivated by ghosts. After sampling the local abandoned homes, we took a road trip to local legend out in Wilson––Acid Park. With each of us speculating on where it would be, what we would see, and whether or not anyone really died here, we turned onto Wilson Road.

After about five miles and a few hundred abandoned and scary looking shacks, we were sure we had missed it, when I saw what looked to be a massive Christmas tree covered in blue lights. It's hard to describe what we saw, other than just massive towers with windmills, trains, bicycles and every other thing you could imagine on top. And everything was covered in millions of reflectors.

We turned off the lights and it was grotesque––silhouettes in front of a full harvest moon sky. With the heat lightning in the background it was just amazingly cool. At only one point for me was it scary, when the wind started to blow and the frogs stopped croaking. Suddenly the area was filled with creakings and whisperings of these huge towers. Sure enough, you drive down a dirt road to the left of the towers and there is an old car wrapped around a tree... draw your own conclusions.
– RockintheCasbah



THE GHOST GIRL OF ACID PARK
Acid Park is in the town of Wilson in Wilson County, NC. It was built by an engineer in the 60's or 70's for his daughter, Valerie, who died on prom night. She was driving drunk on one of his long country roads that he owned when she hit a tree at 60 mph. She suffered a severe head injury and was trapped in the hot flames and burned to death. The car is still there, wrapped completely around the tree. If you visit Acid Park around 2:00 AM on prom night you can hear her screams.

When her father found out about her death, he went insane. He made 60–foot tall towers out of steel and parts of older cars in the area near her death. There are over 2,000 reflectors and about eight windmills stacked on top of each other. He also made statues out of weird objects such as forks and spoons. Acid Park got its name because it's supposedly the greatest place on the east to trip on acid because of the way the reflectors blow in the wind.
– Joe and Tom Stefano


ACID PARK: A.K.A. VOLLIS SIMPSON'S WHIRLIGIGS
Wiggins Mill Road, between Wilson & Lucama, North Carolina
In 1985, Vollis Simpson's career moving houses was winding down. He decided he needed something to do to occupy his time, so he decided to make art out of the very machinery he was using to transport homes. He began building a series of what have come to be known as Whirligigs.

Whirligigs are devices that spin and make noise in the wind. They can also be used to power machines. Simpson's first experiment in making one was during World War II, where while stationed in Saipan he built one to power a washing machine. The whirligigs are made out of discarded materials, of virtually any sort. Scaffolding, model airplanes, and reflectors are just some of the many discarded objects that can be seen on Simpson's property on Wiggins Mill Road.

Vollis Simpson's whirligigs have made quite an impact in the folk art community. They can be found in a number of museums, and four of them were installed in downtown Atlanta during the 1996 Olympic games.
– Larry Harris



It was a few months ago when my girlfriend, her cousin, and I went to Acid Park. While we were there my car shut off twice, my radio changed stations by itself, and my navigation system told me I was in Mexico. I just thought my car was breaking down but then there were some floating leaves wrapping around my car like a tornado. There was no wind so I don't know what was going on. Then the man who lives in the house started shouting at us. We left for about an hour and then came back to see a white haze in the middle of the dirt road moving towards us. As it got closer it called out the name "Johnathan" and disappeared. I'll never go back!
– Chris


My name is Scott and this is my story about Acid Park, which is in Wilson County, NC, off of Wiggins Mill Road. Ok, first off, I've heard both stories about Acid Park. I've heard the myth and the story that some say is the truth. Really, I can't tell which one to believe. And I really can't explain what it looks like. You have to see it for yourself. It is definitely an amazing site to see. The thing I don't understand is why they say it's a myth, but yet in the site there is a Pentagram in front of the site with the girl that was mentioned in the story, Valerie, in the middle of the Pentagram. Also, if it was a myth then why would the man that some say supposedly made the dedication to the girl Valerie, have made all that stuff in the first place? There are really just too many questions that could be asked in this whole mysterious event. And I don't have all the answers to them, but the questions that I could ask you, along with others, could lead you to think more of this mysterious event to be a myth or a true story. But really all I can tell you is... Make your own conclusions...
– Scott


I first heard about Acid Park from my boyfriend. I didn't believe the story until I actually went to this place. I still don't really believe that the story is completely true. However, I do know whoever built all that stuff is insane. I got this really strange feeling as we were driving down the dirt road. It could have been just my mind playing tricks on me. But when me and my boyfriend were leaving before we had gotten there we turned our radio off, but as we getting on the main road the radio came back on and the clock was flashing. It could have just been that something went wrong with the radio. I don't know, but now I'm totally fascinated with this whole thing. I plan on getting the whole truth about this place and I know I'm going back as soon as I can.
– Angel



My name is Jonathan. I had always heard about Acid Park and the story that goes along with it for a couple years now. I had always wanted to go and see what was so scary about it. Some friends and I were bored riding around one night and decided to check it out. We decided to take our Polaroid because I've always heard that it was the best way to pick up paranormal activity on film. We bought two new packs of film and took three pictures before we got there and the camera worked fine. When we got there, we got out and tried to take a picture and the camera wouldn't work. After careful inspection we tried to take another series of pictures, but it still wouldn't work. Needless to say that the second film cartridge didn't work either.

We returned the next night with a digital camera and got a few very interesting pics. We took a pic of my cousin, standing on top of the car and there are several orbs or balls of light floating around him in the picture. After we got back in the car and tried to leave, the rear windshield wiper mysteriously came on without anyone touching the switch. Mechanical malfunction or something else I don't know. I don't have the camera right now but as soon as I get it back I will send the pics in. As far as the car goes, I don't believe that it is Valerie's car. Who would leave a wrecked car at the scene of the accident? I don't know, you can come to your own conclusions about that but there is definitely something out there. By the way, on the night we returned we bought two new packs of film for the Polaroid, and as before, it worked fine before we got there. But when we tried to take more pics at Acid Park, it wouldn't work.
– Jonathan


Hi, my name is Legacy and I live in Winterville, NC which is about 30–40 min. from Acid Park. I've always heard so much about it from friends. The other night me and a couple people went out to look at it. Yes, it was some pretty intense shit. What ever happened to her father? One of my friends took her camera to take pics of it, and when we did, the camera broke and rewound automatically and we had only taken 3 out of 27 pics...pretty weird huh? Why do you suppose it did that? Just coincidence maybe? I don't think so...
– Legacy

7 comments:

silvashan said...

John, this intersection of art and urban myth is friggin' awesome! I love, love, love it!

silvashan said...

In fact, I would focus solely on this place if you're open to it. You don't need to muddy the water by spreading too thin. Really go get all these stories. Shoot the heck out of this site. And interview the artist. Get his story. Really do a portrait on the place while also looking at the connection between urban myth, place and art. So, so rocks this story.

Damian Ashley said...

I definitely used to go there with friends when I lived in Goldsboro, NC. I would love to help on this idea.

Shannon Frymyer said...

These stories are insane. I go to Barton College in Wilson andI have done several projects on the whirligigs and Vollis Simpson and I've interviewed him twice. I've been to Acid Park numerous times. None of these things have ever happened while I've been there during the day or night. Vollis Simpson is a really sweet old man who's only interest is in protecting his art. The ONLY time he ever fired his gun was in the AIR when someone was trying to steal pieces. There really is no story here other than a talented man's amazing art. It shames his reputation when everyone spreads these stories making him out to be insane.
I know these posts are old, but for anyone else who comes across this article as I did, PLEASE search for the truth rather than tarnishing this man's reputation just for an interesting story.

Brittneyb :) said...

I actually went there today.. and the man died 3 days ago. Me and a group of friends were riding just looking around. The car is STILL wrapped around the tree. But its rusted.. as we continued driving we saw this red laser on my boyfriends head. We thought it was a joke. Because the man
Had died. So his house is on the left at the end. When we rode by. The white reef was on the door and there was a shadow on the porch.We stopped and looked carefully..and we heard a screach noise on the top of my car. And opened the sun roof. An it was the mans daughter.But in spirit form.. and we hit the gas !

Unknown said...

Actually, this did happen! Read police records. He lied because he hated people on his property however some got it a bit far fetched but not too far from the truth! FUN FACT: hours only surviving daughter named her daughter after her deceased sister....valorie
Signed. Ex police officer

CSP said...

I went to Acid Park when I was a small child. My grandmother took me and my siblings. We saw the car, the dedications to the daughter and according to my grandmother it was a fetal crash on prom night involving her and her boyfriend. My grandmother's siblings all concurred and knew the kids. We enjoyed going to the park, therefore, my grandmother continued to take us every year until we became too grown for such adventures. The haunting part, I've heard it, but never experienced it, but I first saw Acid Park as a tragic story and did not hear of ghosts until years later so I wouldn't have been anticipating a haunting to begin with. I am glad to hear these pieces are being restored.