The Minister’s Treehouse, Crossville, Tennesee

What can you build, if given enough time, and free material?

Apparently, a HUGE treehouse. As the stories are told, A minister by the name of Horace Burgess was told to build a treehouse by God while praying one day in 1993. So, he did.

The treehouse is open to the public, at least if the gates are open. The only sign, stated, “No Smoking”. According to many reports, the treehouse has some 80 rooms and uses several trees as supports. It reaches a height of approximately 90 feet.

When my family visited, I was truly amazed. Once, I actually went in the structure, I had so many questions. Unfortunately, he wasn’t present the day we visited.

The thing that impressed my father and I the most was the lack of vandalism. Even more impressive, is the fact that it is less than a half mile from 3 separate schools. Inside the treehouse, were huge numbers of windows, and mirrors. Some of them installed in the walls, while others were just propped against a wall waiting for a future expansion. I only saw one broken window in the entire treehouse. There were certainly tons of notes and names left on virtually every board in black sharpie marker but that seemed almost appropriate for the treehouse.

If you have the opportunity, I urge you to go have a look for yourself. If taking small children, I would definitely, keep a hold of them. There are many places were a child could be hurt. Below, I have included some pictures. The largest room in the treehouse is a chapel. Since, I couldn’t photograph the entire view at once, I attempted a couple of panoramic photos. There are some minor seams, but the pictures give a better view of the space.