The Effort to Save the Irish Hills Towers, Part II

Yesterday, I wrote about the history of the Irish Hills Towers, twin structures that for decades were a prime tourist attraction for visitors of Lenawee County's Cambridge Township. Since closing in 2000, the towers have fallen into disrepair, with missing siding, boarded-up windows, rotting floors, and roofs that were essentially missing. Earlier this year, Cambridge Township officials hired an architect who examined the buildings and recommended that the towers either be repaired by the end of this year's construction season, or be demolished.

A few years ago, the Irish Hills Historical Society hired its own architect, who created a strategy to salvage the towers. According to the historical society's vice president, Kelly Flaherty, the plan is to return the structures to working condition, then use them to house a museum. Recently, thanks to a loan secured by the historical society, crews removed the towers' tops (which were causing more damage than already existed) and replaced them with temporary caps. Future plans include clearing up the towers' external issues, then working on the interiors.

Cambridge Township officials no longer have the towers on "demolition watch," and the historical society has until the township board's October meeting to submit a complete restoration plan. While the pieces are slowly falling into place for the towers' eventual renewal, one key component remains missing: money. The historical society is seeking donations to help fund what will be a very expensive project. People interested in donating toward the renovation costs can visit the towers' website, or Causes.com, where the historical society created a page for the towers. Also, visit the Irish Hills Towers page on Facebook for updates on fundraising and construction.

The Effort to Save the Irish Hills Towers, Part I

Last spring, I read an article in the Detroit Free Press about the Irish Hills Towers; specifically, how the almost-100-year-old structures were in danger of being torn down because of safety concerns. The towers were once a popular tourist attraction in the Irish Hills, a region of southern Michigan so named because the area's rolling green land and sparkling lakes reminded its settlers of their previous homes in the Emerald Isle. The towers closed in 2000, and have since become so structurally unsound that officials in Cambridge Township, where the towers are located, told the Irish Hills Historical Society that the towers would have to come down unless the Society obtained funding by August 1 of this year to repair them.

 

The Irish Hills Towers

Well, today is September 18, and the towers are still standing. I recently spoke with Kelly Flaherty, vice president of the Irish Hills Historical Society, who gave me an update about the towers' status. My post today will describe the history of the towers; tomorrow, I'll talk about what I learned from Kelly and will offer information about ways Michiganders can help the towers stick around for future generations.

The Irish Hills Towers are two nearly identical wooden observation towers located on U.S. 12 in Lenawee County's Cambridge Township. At 1,400 feet above sea level, the towers' topmost observation decks offered southeastern Michigan's highest vantage point; during the towers' heyday, thousands of people ascended their staircases each year for views of the Irish Hills' spectacular landscape.

The Irish Hills Towers, back in the day

If it hadn't been for a spat between a developer and an area farmer, the Irish Hills would have had only one tower. In the early 1920s, the Michigan Observation Company (MOC) tried to boost tourism across the state by building towers that visitors could climb for panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. The Irish Hills area seemed a prime location, and the company approached a local farmer, Edward Kelley, about selling his hilltop land so that MOC could build a tower on it. Kelley said no, so MOC approached Thomas Brighton, who owned neighboring land. Brighton said yes, and in September 1924, MOC opened a fifty-foot tower on the land it had bought from Brighton, mere feet from Kelley's property line.

Incensed, Kelley built his own tower, on his own property, right next to the MOC tower. For good measure, he made sure the tower was several feet taller than the original. For the next few years, MOC and Kelley got into a battle over whose tower would reign supreme over the Irish Hills landscape, with each side adding a few feet whenever the other side did so. Finally, MOC threatened to replace its tower with a metal observatory; Kelley backed off, and the battle of the ascending towers ceased, with both topping out at 64 feet. (The above photo shows which tower is which; the tower labeled "Original Tower" is the MOC's, while the "Spite Tower"is Kelley's).

The towers operated independently of one another until the 1950s, when a single owner bought the Kelley tower after purchasing the MOC tower in 1944. In 1972, the towers were joined at their tops; they remained in business until 2000, when the current owners ceased operations because the towers' upkeep became too much for them to handle.

Be sure to read tomorrow's installment for information regarding what happened to the Irish Hills Towers after they closed, and what the future holds for them.