The Atlas Obscura Podcast Lost Wonder: Minister’s Treehouse (Classic)
Feb 23, 2026
A preacher built the world’s biggest treehouse after a life-changing vision. The conversation traces its wild construction, winding staircases, chapel and strange features. Listeners hear about its role as a wedding and pilgrimage site and the community it created. The story ends with safety struggles, trespassing tales, and a mysterious fire that destroyed the landmark.
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Horace's First Treehouse, Destruction, and Rebirth
- Horace Burgess built a five-story treehouse in the 1980s, lived in it for three years, burned it down to leave a life of addiction, then later rebuilt a far larger version after a divine message.
- He collected wood and nails as payment for odd jobs, worked alone for 12 years, and finished a 97-foot structure held together by ~250,000 nails.
Divine Calling Turned Salvage Into a Pilgrimage
- A compelling personal calling can mobilize community resources without traditional funding; God told Horace he'd never run out of material and people gave him wood and nails instead of money.
- Over 12 years he turned salvaged materials into a towering, chapel-like campus that became a pilgrimage site.
Pete Nelson Validates Horace's Craft
- Pete Nelson, a professional treehouse builder and TV host, visited and endorsed Horace's work, calling it an intriguing use of leftovers turned into an edifice.
- Nelson's praise served as a credibility boost, comparing Horace to a genuine master builder.