Holy Land USA property for sale

Holy Land USA, a Bedford County tourist attraction that told the story of Jesus Christ through its scenery for nearly 40 years, is closed and headed for the auction block.

More than 180 acres of farmland that served the pilgrimage site on Jericho Lane several miles south of Bedford is for sale, said Mike Dodson, president of Holy Land USA Inc., a nonprofit that has operated the attraction since 2008.

Low visitation and high costs of maintaining the site led to a difficult decision several months ago to sell the land, Dodson said. Owners hope to find a new buyer who will continue the ministry.

“We had many people saved there,” said Dodson, who also serves as pastor of Tree of Life Ministries in Lynchburg. “If it wasn’t for the financial side, you couldn’t find a more rewarding ministry.”

Thousands of people have visited Holy Land since its founding in 1972 by the late Robert Johnson, a Bedford businessman who built it as a memorial to his son, Campbell, who died suddenly at age 24.

The attraction included a three-mile journey through the property with 20 sites depicting the life and deeds of Jesus and replicating the Biblical lands of Israel, Syria and Jordan. Several depictions included Jesus’ empty tomb, the Upper Room where he had his last supper and Mount Moriah.

The property also includes a home with seven bedrooms, a chapel and recreation center, a gift shop, pavilions and several ponds and streams.

“It’s a gorgeous piece of property,” said Mike Torrence, a partner at TRF Auctions in Lynchburg, which will auction the site on Dec. 16.

In 1991, Johnson left Holy Land to its longtime manager, Richard Dooley, then pastor of Bible Center Chapel in Bedford. It operated until 2005, when Dooley closed it to look for a buyer.

Dodson said when the nonprofit bought it and reopened it nearly two years ago, it did so with a plan to see how it would do after two tourist seasons from spring to November.

“It’s a great ministry but it takes a ton of money to run it,” Dodson said, adding that it cost an average of $14,000 a month to operate.

There were 20 volunteers who were very dedicated in maintaining the site, he said. He attributed the low turnout to the economy, which he said negatively impacted many planned visits from church groups.

“They would call and tell us after they booked that they couldn’t make the trip,” said Dodson.

The land is being auctioned in five tracts, which range from 32 acres to 43 acres. Dodson said a cemetery included as part of the site would not be sold and would be managed under a new name, Mount Olivet.

Sergei Troubetzkoy, Bedford’s tourism director, said the attraction’s closing was a “total surprise” though his office heard rumors for some time of a possible sale. He said the attraction has a presence in Bedford brochures and generates phone calls, mostly from out-of-state inquirers.

“We would be happy to work with whoever gets that property,” Troubetzkoy said.

Keith Vinson, a volunteer general manager of Holy Land for the past two seasons, said much time and money was invested in the site. The intention was to revive the ministry but it became unaffordable, he said.

“I don’t regret a minute of it,” he said of his volunteer time. “It was a big investment by a lot of people. I’m hoping it will continue on.”

Vinson said he hopes the site can attract a buyer who can reach a broader audience through national television ministry or advertisement.

“It’s a good enough ministry, in my opinion,” said Vinson. “It needs to be in the resources of someone who has the money to take it to the next level.”