The Rise and Fall of a Christian Mecca
September 9th, 2004 Posted in God, Church & StuffHeritage USA used to be a thriving Christian resort tucked away in Fort Mill, S.C. and capital city for the infamous PTL Ministries and televangelist Jim Bakker. The residential resort used to draw 6 million visitors annually (nearby Paramount’s Carowinds brings in 2 million annually). People sold their homes and made the pilgrimage to Heritage USA to join the resort. But the Christian Mecca didn’t last.
Now the Christian paradise is in ruins and being sold piecemeal to developers. So much for a resort resurrection. Though the idea of an abandoned Christian resort/theme park sounds like a novel waiting to be written.
But with the new Billy Graham headquarters only a few miles across the state line in Charlotte, soon to be the new site of Billy Graham’s boyhood home, perhaps there’s yet hope for a Christian Mecca.
