Irish Hills Towers

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

These two wooden observation towers were built in 1924 as tourist attractions. They stood 64 feet high, and were built at the highest elevation in the Irish Hills region, providing a scenic overlook of the area. The Michigan Observation Company built the first tower, but a neighboring landowner built his own tower adjacent to the first and operated it in competition with the MOC tower. Eventually, a single owner acquired both towers, unified the property and added amenities. The towers closed in 2000 and fell into disrepair, and their observation decks were removed. They are currently undergoing restoration by the Irish Hills Historical Society. The towers were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.

Images

Irish Hills Towers, 2010

Irish Hills Towers, 1929

Tower, Lighthouse, Architecture, Water tower

Irish Hills Towers, 1929

Tower, Lighthouse, Shot tower, Architecture

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

When the Michigan Observation Company (MOC) tried to purchase land on a high point in Lenawee County to build an observation tower for tourists, it touched off a feud between neighboring landowners. In 1924, the highest elevation in Cambridge Township was a hill that had a property line running right through the middle of it. Neighbors Edward Kelly and Thomas Brighton each owned part of the hill. The Michigan Observation Company first approached farmer Edward Kelly, but the Kellys, who had long been pestered by tourists asking permission to climb their hill, refused to sell.

The MOC then made a deal with Kelly's neighbor, Thomas Brighton. MOC built its tower on Brighton's land, only a few feet from Kelly's property line, and opened it to visitors in October 1924. Kelly, in turn, built his own tower, ten feet taller that the MOC tower. Kelly named his tower the "Gray Tower," but it earned the nickname of the "spite" tower because of the feud between the two neighbors. The MOC, calling its tower the "Original Tower," was not to be outdone and raised the height of its tower to be even with Kelly's Gray Tower. The competing tourist attractions added telescopes, picnic areas, gift shops, and lunch stands to lure customers.

The MOC sold the original tower to Frank Lamping in 1947; ten years later, Lamping also acquired the Kelly tower and united the two properties as a single tourist attraction. He connected the towers at the ground level to provide a larger souvenir shop. Lamping sold the property in 1966. After being passed through the hands of several other owners, the towers were closed to the public in 2000.

In 2013, Cambridge Township officials condemned the deteriorating towers and threatened them with demolition unless they were made safe. The Irish Hills Historical Society led a campaign to repair the towers to save them from demolition. The society hopes to reopen them to tourists by their centennial years of 2024.

Sources

"Irish Hills Observatory Tower to Have Opening on Saturday and Sunday," Adrian Daily Telegram, October 3, 1924, p.14.

"Twin Towers Striving to Command Coveted View of Irish Hills," Adrian Daily Telegram, December 16, 1924, p.1.

"Kelly Knoll's Twin Towers Still Vying for Greatest Height," Adrian Daily Telegram, March 31, 1925, p.13.

"Twin Towers of Irish Hill Continue to Play Jack-in-the-Beanstalk Game," Adrian Daily Telegram, June 10, 1925, p.7.

"Visitors to Original Irish Hills Tower Find Many Amusement Features There," Adrian Daily Telegram, July 26, 1929, p.9.

"Gray Tower Lighted by Large Neon Lamp," Adrian Daily Telegram, August 2, 1929, p.9.

"Edward M. Kelly Dies in Irish Hills Home," Adrian Daily Telegram, November 14, 1932, p.1.

Barnett, Leroy. "The Irish Hills Towers." Michigan History Magazine, vol. 89, no. 4, July-Aug. 2005, p. 5+.

National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, Irish Hills Towers, listed May 2, 2007.

“Historic Towers Have Date With Demolition,” Detroit Free Press, May 30, 2013, p.1A.

"Irish Hills Towers Ownership Switches to Historical Society," Adrian Daily Telegram, April 21, 2013.

“Irish Hills Towers Saved from Demolition,” Detroit Free Press, October 29, 2017, p.10A.

Goran, David. "The Story Behind the Irish Hills Towers," The Vintage News [thevintagenews.com], March 21, 2017.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Notorious4life, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Deborah Larsen