WACO, Texas — Mount Carmel was said to be warzone exactly 30 years ago.
The 1993 events at the Mount Carmel Center would be known as the Branch Davidian Siege. It was 51 days long and resulted in the deaths of four Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) agents and 82 Branch Davidians, including 22 children.
Today, the grounds where the event took place look vastly different. Calm, even.
A chapel on a grassy plain sits where the compound used to be. Nearby are 81 trees that were planted by survivors, each honoring the Branch Davidians who died on site. (There were 82 trees, but current pastor, Charles Pace, chopped down the tree that was dedicated to David Koresh.)
Inside the lone white building, there is insight on the history of who owned the land before the siege, details about proclaimed prophet Koresh, as well as markers throughout indicating where specific events took place.
James Rosenberry told 6 News it was his first time visiting the grounds. He said he was inspired to after watch the Netflix documentary series, "Waco: American Apocalypse."
He described being on the land as eerie and unsettling.
"It feels a little weird here," he said. "This could have been prevented and they could have taken Koresh at any time. Why did he have to destroy all of this?"
Not everyone feels the same energy.
Peter Christian has lived on the Mount Carmel historical site for three years. He thinks joy and peace surround the land and believes the men, women and children who died on the land in 1993 are at peace.
"Thirty years after the raid, a lot of people believe the spirit here is going to be a fearful spirit but it's a peaceful spirit," Christian shared. "We believe this land is the Jerusalem of the United States."
Christian is planting a self-made 'Back to Eden' garden on the land to signify a fresh beginning for visitors and church goers.
Today, the land is more of a historical site for visitors who come to learn information about Koresh and what the Branch Davidians believe happened before, during, and after the siege.
Pace, who also owns the property, now preaches to an online congregation. Hundreds of people spreading across the country and around the world tune in to his live sermons as he continues to spread the word of Jesus Christ.
"David Koresh asked me if he would be judged by God and he said yes," Pace shared. "I don't agree with Koresh trying to fulfil the entity of Christ but he was not the only one responsible for what happened here."