whenever I’ve visited my friends’ lake house in the irish hills of michigan, there has never been a shortage of lakes and trees to be enjoyed. on one recent visit they took me on a walk through a very special place that I’d been wanting to see since hearing about it. at first impression it appears to be a beautiful, rolling, wide open natural space, but there is much more to it than first meets the eye.
once known as aiden lair, and now known as mccourtie park, it was formerly the 42-acre estate of herb mccourtie, a cement magnate. its trademark is its concrete bridges artistically handcrafted to resemble wooden structures. a visionary who loved architecture for art’s sake, mccourtie showed the versatility and beauty of the product he manufactured in 17 bridges that he commissioned to be created on his property using the 19th-century lost art of “el trabajo rustico” (the rustic work) in faux bois (imitation wood).
for more than 10 years, two mexican artists, george cardoso and ralph corona, created the bridges that span the creek on the property, as well as two concrete trees that cleverly hide the chimneys to his rathskeller. the bridges were individually created from wet mortar to resemble ropes and logs simulating native trees, such as oak, walnut, cherry, birch and beech. the intricate details include knots, insect holes, saw cuts, wood grain and even moss, lichen and beetle holes. an elaborate system of underground wires provided lights on and under some of the bridges. in addition, he created two huge pools, one for use as a swimming pool and the other as a fishing pond for his guests’ enjoyment.
(stills hidden in the cement ‘trees’ mixed among the natural trees)
throughout its history, the park has been the subject of rumors and legends. mccourtie’s rathskeller, which features a large bar, fieldstone fireplace, and vault, is rumored to have been a speakeasy during prohibition and a stopping point for al capone and other gangsters who bootlegged whiskey from chicago to detroit on U.S. 12.
it’s also been rumored that there are tunnels under the park property that served as stations for runaway southern slaves on the underground railroad. some people have reported sightings of a ghostly “lady in blue” strolling the grounds in old-fashioned clothing.
(a peek into the window of what used to be the ‘rathskeller’ – a bit creepy now)
in 1991, mccourtie park was named to the state register of historic sites by the michigan historical commission. the next year, it was added to the national register of historic places by the national park service.
—
“prohibition has made nothing but trouble.”
-al capone
—
source: mlive
How awesome! Those were some artists to do all that out of cement.
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amazing talents
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Extraordinary.
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yes, for many reasons –
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How beautiful and interesting!
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yes, such an interesting history
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Wow–looks like a cool place to visit!
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yes, really fun to walk through and see it all
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What great art this has become for all of us, Beth. Thank you for sharing.
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my pleasure, mark. it was really fun to learn about the story behind it all –
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Great post my friend. You have a wonderful writing style. Please use it more often. Your posts brighten my days.
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❤️
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I see that Atlas Obscura includes this site:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/mccourtie-park
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Thanks!
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One of my favorite posts of yours. Very interesting!
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Fantastic!
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Wow. Who knew concrete could be so pretty? Thanks Beth. And I believe all the rumours!
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right? and I absolutely do, too. lots of reports about it
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Very interesting place, I bet it is lovely to walk there!
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Yes, very nice
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Enjoyed knowing about a new, faraway place!
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thanks
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Another beautiful place in Michigan to hopefully see one day. ANd hopefully come face to face with the ghost.
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the lady in blue –
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Incredible! This looks like a scene out of a fairytale book. I’d love to take photos here… What a place to just wander and enjoy.
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yes, it was very cool and knowing the story. made it even more so –
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Such a beautiful place, irish michigan. I would love to visit there!
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You’d enjoy it
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O, I’m sure! 🙂
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Wonderful place to know of!
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It is really cool
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You have once again added something to my bucket list. Really cool.
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I have no doubt that it’s a big bucket
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So interesting and very beautiful!
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Thanks
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You’re welcome!
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Really neat.
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Very Clever !!
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It was !
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Really neat. I prefer real wood to cement wood, but at least the cement lasts longer. Love the Capone quote.
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same, but important to have it on the down low, and the owner owned a cement company after all, probably his go to item )
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I imagine you’re right.
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