Chuck Sutherland is a geographer and photographer who had heard whispers about an incredible structure standing in the forest of Crossville, Tennessee. His curiosity took him to see the creation of Minister Horace Burgess, who says the idea for the treehouse came to him while he was deep in prayer. 14 years later, and with no architectural training, Burgess has created an eccentric 4 story mansion in the trees, that quickly became loved by locals and tourists alike.
The fantastical structure stands at 97 feet tall and is supported by 6 different trees. The main support is an 80-feet-tall oak tree that has a whopping 12-feet-diameter base. It has 80 rooms, including a combined church and a basketball court in the centre.
Burgess spent $14,000 on building his tree bound castle, which is made almost completely out of recycled timber and other materials, including 258,000 nails.
Sadly, in 2010 the Minister’s Treehouse was closed to the public. Due to its haphazard construction (visitors claim this is what made it so fun to explore), a Tennessee Fire Marshall deemed it unsafe to enter. Without the funds to perform the necessary repairs, it is very likely that the doors of this treebound mansion will not open anytime soon.
As a real tour is not yet possible, we offer you the opportunity to take a virtual one, to discover this awesome construction and its maze-like corridors and many secret places.