The World’s Largest Tree House Took A Man 14 Years To Build, But Wait Until You See Inside

The largest treehouse in the world is located in Crossville, Tennessee (USA).

The owner, Horace Burgess, claims that God gave him the mandate to build the house. It is also known as “The Minister’s Tree House”.

The home’s ten levels, which are supported by a base of six oaks, were built using about 250,000 nails since 1993.

Photo Credit: Chuck Sutherland

The combined “living space” of all floors is more than 3000 square meters.

Despite being built completely of wood, it was reported to have cost about $20,000 and took 14 years to finish.

Who would create anything like that, exactly? You speculate that she might be insane.

Horace Burgess claims that in 1993, God gave him the order to build the tree house and promised him that he would never run out of wood.

Photo Credit: Chuck Sutherland

It looks like God has kept his word thus far.

The building has a large center space that is used for both basketball games and prayer, as well as a penthouse on the tenth floor.

A half-ton church bell is also included in it.

The numerous wood boards that make up the structure now bear the traces of visitors.

Due to violations of the local fire code, the residence, which had been open for quite some time, was forced to close its doors in 2012.

A large fire could start, which would be terrible for a structure constructed completely of wood, according to the local fire department.

Photo Credit: Chuck Sutherland

In the end, it did occur…

The largest treehouse in the world, a wooden structure standing at 97 feet tall in Crossville, Tennessee, burned to the ground in less than half an hour.

Construction began in the early 1990s, when architect Harold Burgess claimed in an interview, “If you build a tree house, you’ll never run out of material.” This he duly did.

Photo Credit: Chuck Sutherland

The Minister’s Treehouse was constructed over the course of two decades using raw lumber donated by locals.

There were 80 rooms in the house, including classrooms, bedrooms, and a kitchen, spread across five stories and held together by a white oak tree 80 feet in height.

There was a big wraparound porch with a winding stairway to connect the levels. The interior design successfully combined quirky with spiritual, featuring a hand-carved Bible, towering cross, and wooden pews.

The name “JESUS” was spelled out in carefully mowed grass beneath the building.

Since it was used for church services, the treehouse also attracted visitors looking for a unique experience.

Photo Credit: Chuck Sutherland

Tourism at the treehouse was halted in 2012 by state fire marshals due to numerous breaches including a lack of a load distribution system, uneven flooring, and fall dangers, exceeding regulations, and the absence of a licensed design professional.

The state fire marshal ordered the building closed, so Burgess put up a sign saying “Closed by the state fire marshal. File your complaints with them.”

Photo Credit: Chuck Sutherland

When police in the area were contacted to report the fire, Captain Derek Carter of the Cumberland County Fire Department was already there.

“It was basically a pile of rubble when we pulled up. The fire was so intense we had to park 500 yards away,” says Carter. It took firefighters almost 15 minutes to put out the fire once firefighters arrived at the scene.

Pigeon Forge native Macy Leatherwood spent Christmas 2018 with her family at Cumberland Mountain State Park.

Photo Credit: Chuck Sutherland

The Minister’s Treehouse, according to Leatherwood, was “the highlight of the trip” because of its size and novelty.

Although she could only see the home through the fence, she still had a lovely view.

When she heard the news that the house had burned down, she was distraught. “It will definitely be a cherished memory of a family trip, and I’ll never forget that treehouse.”

Captain Carter, who was off-duty when he visited the treehouse as a tourist before it was closed to the public, described it as “a deathtrap.”

He summed it up by saying, “It was very cool, but also very dangerous.”

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