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The Irish Hills - Written by Dan Cherry
As immigration into the newly-christened Michigan state
territory reached its peak, a small knot of Irish
immigrants, some seeking new life in the United States,
others fleeing the ongoing Potato Famine of 1846, called
a small portion of northern Lenawee County home. The
rolling hills and crystal lakes, it is said, reminded
them of their home country and they acquired that
tangible reminder of Ireland. Names like Kelly,
Killarney, Brighton and Monaghan can be found on modern
maps, a tribute to the original area in which they
resided; the 1 ˝ square-mile area around white is now
St. Joseph Shrine.
The Irish Hills, as it became known, was transformed
from mostly farms and orchards to a tourist destination
by the early 1920’s. In 1924, the Irish Hills Towers
were constructed; by 1930 the shrine and the Stations of
the Cross became places of popular, quiet reflection.
The Irish Hills quickly embodied the entire lake and
hills region and to this day is a sought-out place of
quiet beauty that the original Irish immigrants found so
appealing.
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History of the Irish Hills Towers
The original Irish Hills Tower was built in
1924 by the Michigan Observation Company (MOC).
The proposed site for the tower was atop of
Brighton Hill. However, at the peak was the
property line, and the western portion was owned
by Edward Kelley. Mr. Kelley did not want to see
the area commercialized. He bitterly opposed the
building of the tower that would come right up
to the edge of his property line. But the
Michigan Observations Company went ahead with
the construction of the tower, making it 50 feet
high. Mr. Kelley, out of spite, built a tower of
his own right next to the MOC tower, only he
went 10 feet higher. The original tower then
added 14 feet to its tower. Mr. Kelley, not to
be outdone, went four feet higher, thus making
both towers an even 64 feet high. It might not
have stopped there, but the MOC told Mr. Kelley
that if he added any more to his tower it would
tear down its tower and put up a much higher
tower of steel. This Mr. Kelley didn’t want, so
an end was put to the raising of two towers.
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The two towers were in keen competition (for the
tourist trade) until 1944 when Mr. Frank Lamping
bought the original Irish Hills tower from the
MOC, and in 1955 bought the other tower from a
Kelley heir. The existing tops were built and
put in place in 1972, joining the towers at the
top for the first time. In 1987, an 18-hole
miniature golf course was constructed around the
base. The rocks used throughout the course came
from a local farmer’s field. The top of the
towers is 1400 feet above sea level, and makes
the towers the highest point in southeastern
Michigan. On a clear day one can see for seven
miles. Ten lakes can be seen. Each year
thousands of people from all over the world
would climb to the top to enjoy the scenic view
which is so reminiscent of the Killarney Lakes
region of Ireland. Even inoperable, the towers
will always remain a landmark of the Irish
Hills. |
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For more information about Brooklyn-Irish Hills and a
free map of the area, please contact
the Brooklyn-Irish Hills Chamber of Commerce. We
look forward to serving you! |
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