Climb The Minister’s Tree House — The Largest of Its Kind In The World

In 1993, a man from the small town of Crossville, Tenn., had a profound vision from the heavens. According to myth, Minister Horace Burgess was told by God, “If you build me a tree house, I’ll see that you never run out of material.” Soon after, he quit his job and began construction on what is now the largest tree house in the world.

© Andy Melton | Flickr

At its peak, the Minister’s Tree House stands at a height of 97 feet. This five-story structure is built across seven different trees and has about 80 rooms, resulting in a total of 10,000 square feet of architecture.

From its highest point, the bell tower, a view of the local flower garden can be seen. At this vantage, the flowers spell Jesus. Other floral arrangements paint pictures of the Christian cross and the American flag.

© Andy Melton | Flickr

Perhaps the most appealing part of the tree house is the fact that it is free and everyone is welcome. Although visitors are technically trespassers, Horace does not turn anyone away no matter the age or creed.

Although Horace has taken a break after the first 14 years of construction, he hopes to continue building again. In the future, he’d like to make additional renovations including the installment of an elevator, plumbing and heat, as well as an enormous staircase twisting around the entire structure. He calls this feat of architecture the Stairway to Heaven. The state fire marshall temporarily closed the tree house, but owners are hoping to get it reopened quickly

© Joel Kramer | Flickr