The Secret Tower of Goat Joy in Illinois (13 photos + 1 video)
In the heart of Illinois, where there are no mountains or predators, rises a remarkable structure just over 30 feet tall. 
This is Goat Tower, home and favorite refuge for a herd of Swiss Saanen goats. 
These charming cuties with their pointed ears and gentle nature strive to climb to the highest point around them, which once saved them in the Alpine valleys. 
While there is no danger lurking in the area around the town of Windsor, local residents Dave and Marcia Johnson gave their pets a real castle. 
Their tower, "Ba-Buka," is made of five thousand hand-made bricks and is entwined with a spiral of 276 steps. Goats climb these steps to their personal "apartments"—cozy hollow rooms inside the tower where they spend the night. 
This charming structure graces a vast, well-kept grounds, but the story of its origin is even more astonishing. It turns out the tower predates its first horned inhabitants. 
Dave, a passionate wine and book lover and former school principal, was flipping through Decanter magazine one day in the mid-1990s. His attention was drawn to a photo of a winery in South Africa, featuring a tower with a spiral staircase, favored by a herd of goats. That tower was the second in the world; the first was built in Portugal in the 19th century. Dave decided to create a third. 
He persuaded the mason who had once built his house to come out of retirement and take on the unusual project. A special batch of hand-made bricks from North Carolina was ordered for the construction. Three months of work culminated in the construction of a tower with a copper roof. 
Only then did the Johnsons acquire 11 Saanen goats to give them this unusual home. Since then, the herd has changed, but the tradition of sleeping in the tower and frolicking on its wooden steps has remained unchanged. Anyone can see this with their own eyes by arranging a visit in advance. 
The tower is far from the only curiosity on the Johnson estate. Thanks to their herculean efforts to restore nature (the couple planted 250 trees, dug six ponds, and returned about 40 hectares of land to the wild to attract birds and bees), this area has not only been transformed but has also received Certified Wildlife Habitat status from the National Wildlife Federation. 
Over 100 species of birds can be found here. The owners have also lovingly placed their unusual finds and creations around the property: a huge boulder from the Ice Age, amazing metal sculptures of storks, and "singing stones" that, when blown by the wind, emit a melodic ringing, like ancient crystal bells. 
