Old Route 86, about 3 miles south of the intersection of Route 119, Prospect Hill, North Carolina
For Henry Warren of Prospect Hill, NC, once the ball was rolling he saw no reason to stop. In 1968, the seventy-seven year old built a waterwheel to accompany his yard's goldfish pond. Once the waterwheel was done he quickly began construction on a motorized miniature mill to connect to it. From there, building-by-building, Warren built what he came to call his Shangri-La--an elaborate miniature village. It includes stores, churches, and water towers, among other features. The entire spectacle is built out of white quartz that Warren quarried on his own land. When it was opened to the public, hundreds of people converged on the site to take in its miniscule magnificence.
Henry's wife was once quoted as saying, “As long as he had a cigarette and a Coca-Cola, he'd keep building. Henry Warren died at age 84 in 1977. At his request his family has kept Shangri-La open to visitors.
– Larry Harris
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