VISUAL / EXPERIMENTAL
Adventures of the Lost Civilization, 1-4
Braden Schwengel
Newspaper Clippings from Holsbane Hydro-Active Park
Noah Reinders
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NEW SEASONAL WATER PARK COMING TO HOLSBAYNE COUNTY
Esmerelda Price - February 6, 1978
Earlier today the recreational board of the Maryland Municipal Parks Commission approved the construction of a new water park in the county of Holsbayne. They announced that the board will commission the famous Wilko Brothers Entertainment Ltd. to head the construction and theming of the new site. “We are really excited to be able to work with the creative folks at Wilko Brothers on this project. We have all seen or at least heard about their incredible parks like Salt Lake Splashzone in Utah and the AquaDome in Las Vegas, so we hope to create something truly special for locals and tourists alike” claimed Rob Lockes, the head chairman of the Maryland Municipal Parks Commission. He also expressed hope that the new attraction will bring some of the Washington D.C. tourists into the state, which he claimed was “not as impressive” as the country’s capital. Unfortunately, a representative from the Wilko Brothers was unable to comment about the project in time of publication, but further details like opening date will surely surface very soon.
HOLSBAYNE COUNTY RELIGIOUS GROUP CONDEMNS WILKO BROTHERS LTD FOR “EVIL SYMBOL” IN NEW WATER PARK
Nathan Grebes - December 9, 1978
Despite excitement pertaining to the announcement of the official opening date for Holsbayne Hydro-Active Park, that being May 22nd of next year, the water park and its contracting company Wilko Brothers Ltd. are under scrutiny yet again for a seemingly offensive symbol within the premises. The subject of controversy is found within the Tides of Terror section of the park, which is one of the several themed “zones” announced on the same day of the opening date. According to the Holsbayne HeavenWatch Activist Group leader Reverend Leslie MacAurthur, he spotted a “Satanic summoning glyph” on the floor of an empty pool while walking by the construction site. “This is a disgrace and obvious confirmation that the influences of Hell are infiltrating American Society! No honest, true, red-blooded and God-fearing American would ever go anywhere near that cursed ground or blasphemous servants of Satan that work at the company!”, he exclaimed to fellow Maryland Tribune writer Esmerelda Price, who just so happened to be passing by when he recognized her. Price also relayed that Reverend MacArthur posed multiple theories as to why the “glyph” was present and to why the county of Holsbayne was even chosen to begin with, including “Satanic Communists” and other groups. Needless to say, there is currently no evidence to support any of those as of publication. The Maryland Tribune reached out to Wilko Brothers Ltd. for a comment. A representative that wished to remain anonymous responded, “There is no purposeful inclusion of any evil symbols or related medium within any of the Wilko Brothers theme parks, regardless of theming. What Reverend MacArthur saw was likely just a coincidental pattern formed by the tiles of the pool.” Despite this comment, Reverend MacArthur and other members of the Holsbayne HeavenWatch Activist Group urge potential park guests to avoid the property in fear of “grave consequences”. Any other offensive symbols or otherwise have not been sighted on the premises, including the other park segments Princess Pond, IcePeak Lagoon, Landlubber’s Shopping Centre, and the Hydro-Active Motor and Mini Golf Zone.
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HOLSBAYNE HYDRO-ACTIVE PARK CLAIMS ANOTHER LIFE, TOTALLING 9 DEAD SINCE OPENING
Nathan Grebes - August 18, 1986
Yesterday evening at 11:46 p.m. Toby Mesworth,14,was pronounced dead at the Meadowshire General Hospital with the cause of death being blood loss due to severe lacerations on his chest and a punctured lung. Mesworth is the ninth individual to experience fatal trauma within the park or an injury caused within, joining the likes of Sally Urknes (9), Daniel Meny (11), Joseph McGee (4), Janet Walsch (24), Ryan Walsch (27), Eloise Fornnes (16), Shanice Van Pessul (20) and Murray Boourns (18), who also met their unfortunate end due to negligence within Holsbayne Hydro-Active Park.
While the cause of death has been confirmed, the reason for injury has yet to be determined. “We aren’t sure yet,” said Detective Samuel Grupp of the Holsbayne County Police Department. “There simply isn’t any logical reason as to why or how Toby was injured. Considering how previous guests have been injured, it’s possible that the kid swam too close to an underwater fan, but the only ones that are within the park can only be found in the Rapid Raceway. Hell, even that’s a stretch since swimming isn’t allowed there and nobody claimed to see the boy around that section of the park.” Other people have their own claims and theories as to how Mesworth was harmed. Local conspiracy theorist and “cryptozoologist” Lawrence “Scary Larry” Quinn claims that he recognizes the type of lacerations found on Mesworth. “I tells ya, th’ boy was kill’t by a Class Three Amphibisite! That'sa ‘water monster’ for less intellectual folk. Trus’ me! I’d recognize them claw marks anywhere! I seent th' monster too!” Quinn provided additional details about this “Amphibisite”, including a description of the creature. He claims it is “At least seven feet tall, but you’d never know cuz it likes to be all hunched over-like. Is’ got a body of wunna them mermaids (which I also seent in Vietnam) but the head like a squid with barbed tentacles and the like. It can breathe on land too, so nobody’s never safe! Also, NEVER LOOK IT IN ITS EYE if ya see it yerself.” Quinn was also generous enough to provide a sketch of his monster.
Regardless of the cause of Mesworth’s unfortunate passing, The family of Toby is planning to pursue legal action against Wilko Brothers Ltd. much like the families of previous victims.Information related to the funeral of Toby Mesworth can be found in the Obituaries section.
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What Actually Happened At Holsbayne Hydro-Active Park? Revisiting The Legend Forty Years Later
By Terri Screlm - Published May 23, 2019 at 6:16 a.m.
Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of the opening of Holsbayne Hydro-Active Park, located in the county of the same name in Maryland. Anyone who has an interest in urban legends, theme parks, abandoned places and even cryptids needs no introduction to the story, but for those who are still new to all of this only need to know that a total of nine people died there while the water park was open and how they died is still questioned about to this day. The reason why people still discuss the infamous park and the loss of life is that there seems to be some kind of cover up or even a complex conspiracy related to the accidents and its eventual closure. In honor of its legacy, let’s discuss what actually happened at Holsbayne Hydro-Active Park.
First off, let’s talk about the injuries the victims had and how they died. Three of the nine casualties actually died while in the park, according to old news reports. Two of the victims unfortunately drowned and one was electrocuted by faulty wiring that was too close to the pool. The rest experienced some form of physical trauma and passed away on the way to or in the hospital, all of which are something one would not normally have any risk of in a water park. Four of which were apparently deep cuts to limbs and the chest in one case. The two deaths that raise the most questions are that of a newlywed couple that apparently suffered “severe food poisoning”. While it is possible to die of that, there is no way it would happen in young, healthy adults. Interestingly, most of the deaths happened near the Tides of Terror section of the park.
Anyone should be able to deduce that something seems wrong. There is no possible way that the wires that caused the death would be allowed so close to the pool, and when was the last time you heard about someone being fatally cut at a waterpark? I was actually able to reach out to the niece of one of the laceration victims. Alicia Mesworth told me that “my uncle was not just subjected to a deep cut. He was outright clawed to death according to my mother. She said the wounds were all even like that of a lion or bear. We had a closed casket funeral because his face was all clawed up.” Clearly nothing is really adding up. This is where the conspiracy theories kick in.
The claw marks, drownings, misplacement of electric equipment, and poisoning could be all connected to one source. A common urban legend of the park is that there was an infestation of an invasive aquatic species residing in the water processors in the underbelly of the park, which is also a common theory as the actual reason why they had to close. To entertain this idea, there needs to be a creature that is capable of pulling a human underwater long enough to drown them, the understanding of water’s conductive properties, and access to some form of venom to poison its prey. The only culprit could be some kind of octopus, as they are known for their strength and intelligence amongst invertebrates, and in some cases even secrete poison. However, there is no explanation for the lacerations as octopuses don’t have claws and there is no way an octopus would go unnoticed for that amount of time. Could it have been an undiscovered species? Possibly. What about some evil creature summoned from another dimension in an attempt to eradicate the religious influences in Holsbayne by an unknown cult? Definitely not. Either way, the park is now closed and many mysteries surround it. Hopefully we have learned a thing or two about water park safety, and it might be best to avoid exploring the abandoned premises in fear of some unknown terror that ended the lives of nine people.
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