For as long as humans could build, we’ve been making massive structures to appease or appreciate higher powers. The Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, the Temple of Kukulkan at Chichen Itza, the Parthenon in Greece — all monuments built for the love of God(s). Devotion has led to some of our most brilliant structures and, if you’ve ever visited one of them, you’ve probably left puzzled at how the human race, also responsible for the Doritos Locos Taco, could have constructed something as majestic as, say, San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral and
Sadly, one such monument, The Minister’s Tree House in Crossville Tennessee, which is also the world’s largest treehouse, has burned down. Standing at 100 feet tip-to-tip, the Minister’s Tree House burned and collapsed in just 15 minutes after the fire was reported according to the Crossville Chronicle, before emergency services could arrive at the scene. Construction began in 1993 by Minister Horace Burgess who, according to Atlas Obscura, was encouraged by the voice of God to build it. Minister Burgess was reportedly told, “If you build a treehouse, I’ll see that you never run out of material.”
Which is a fun God-way of saying, “Hey do this thing, I’ll make sure you’ll never finish.”
The Minister’s Tree House contained 80 rooms, stood five stories tall, and was made of recycled wood and material and required an additional six trees to keep it stable. The treehouse acted as a church of its own, with a working bell tower and must’ve been a legitimately awe-inspiring place to attend.
As of now the cause of the fire is still under investigation. It’s a sad moment for sure, but something tells us Minister Burgess is going to keep building. Check out the Minister’s Tree House in former glory below, it’s quite the sight.
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