In 1993, a Tennessee man began digging a swimming pool in his backyard. Now the 500,000 gallon oasis requires 100 lbs. of chlorine per week

NEED TO KNOW

• Micky Thornton spent nearly 30 years building a massive swimming pool in Tennessee, turning a childhood dream into a 500,000-gallon swimming spot.

• Featuring waterfalls, rock features and space for large gatherings, the pool has become a favorite spot for family, friends and the community.

• Over the years, it has hosted everything from birthday parties to more than 400 baptisms.

Some people spend their weekends mowing the lawn or repairing things around the house. Micky Thornton, a former diving instructor, has spent almost 30 years transforming his garden into a swimming destination unlike anything most people have ever seen.

Living in Covington, Tennessee, Thornton had a childhood vision of a pool where swimmers could dive, explore and move around without feeling confined within four walls. Today, his garden holds about 500,000 gallons of water, with waterfalls, rocks and plenty of room for a crowd.

In a December 2023 interview with The coolest thingThornton gave some insight into the thinking behind this unusual design and why he wanted something that went well beyond a typical backyard pool.

“I wanted (the pool) big in the deep end…big and deep enough that you could swim around it without feeling like you were stuck in a little box,” he said on the show.

Thornton had been thinking about this type of pool since he was 9 or 10 years old, and after moving to Covington in 1992, he finally had the space to attempt something of this scale.

Excavations began on Labor Day in 1993, but the scale of the work meant there was no time to waste if he wanted to see his childhood idea come to life. Looking back on that decision, he explained to WGN-TV in 2017 why he decided the time had finally come to make a move.

“I was 39 then,” Thornton told the outlet, “and I thought if I’m ever going to do something like this, I better start working on it.”

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The work happened in stages, with many changes along the way.

The first excavation was over 20 feet deep and covered with a polyethylene mat. Rubber surfacing came later, followed by improvements in 1998 and 1999 that brought a waterfall and much of the decorative rockery. In 2013, the pool underwent another major renovation.

The construction materials alone give an idea of ​​the ambition of the project. The pool uses approximately 320 yards of gunite (shotcrete made from a mixture of cement and sand) and 40,000 pounds of cement. of steel reinforcing bars. It also features rock-lined waterfalls and sprayers, with varying depths for swimming, diving, and other water activities.

There was also the challenge of keeping half a million gallons of water in good condition. Thornton handled this by designing and building its own filtration, pumping and waterfall systems.

When discussing the cost of maintenance, Thornton said The coolest thing that chlorine is the “biggest constant cost” since it uses about “100 pounds of tablets per week.” He also estimated that it added about “$200 a month all year round” to his electric bill.

Yet over the years, the pool has become a place where people can swim, party and create memories.

It has hosted birthday parties, sports teams, weddings and family reunions. But according to Thornton’s wife Jane, one of the most memorable visits was when the Japanese national baseball team called to arrange an afternoon at the pool.

“They called and asked if we could host them for an afternoon,” Ms. Thornton told WGN-TV. “I thought sure, I thought there were nine guys on the field, probably a total of 25 people. Wrong. There were 50.”

Their backyard has also become part of an important tradition for several local churches. “More than 400 people were baptized in the pool,” she revealed. “Which is something I think is pretty cool.”

For Thornton, the years spent digging, building and improving have certainly paid off – and speaking with The coolest thinghe said he has no regrets about the time he spent building it.

“From that little childhood dream to now, almost 60 years later, this is where we are. As long as I’m here…I’ll take care of it as long as I can,” Thornton said on the show. “My 500,000 gallon backyard pool is the coolest thing I’ve ever made.”

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