The most common current use of prescription in US law is in the property law concept of prescriptive easement. A presciptive easement is a right to use another's property not inconsistently with the owner's rights, acquired through an open, notorious, adverse and continuous use for a statutory period (IIRC, 15 years in Michigan).
Well there is something that michigan did take from NY (city at least-- i don't know the state)
In NYC, (and now i am thinking specifically of Rockafeller center-- Rockerfeller Plaza --home to the christmas tree) is a private street. Once every year is is closed to the public. People who work in the building have to show their employee badges, other have to sign in, with a specific location named. If the street was left open to the public for year and a day, it would become a public street. Since it is a two block long street in midtown, and represents about 16 (potential) commercial building lots-- (each 60 by 100) the value of the street is in the billions.
easements (rights of way) on residential property take longer to establish, but less than 15 years. --I think it is about 5 years..
