The House of David was a religious community founded in 1903 by Benjamin and Mary Purnell. Based in and ar
ound Benton Harbor, MI, the commune required its members to refrain from sex, haircuts, shaving, 
and the eating of meat. Starting around 1907 the community ran "The Springs of Eden Park" which became a popular vacation spot in the 1930s.
The House of David organized 
a famous baseball team, which toured from the 1920s to the 1950s. The House of David also organized musical bands, which toured the country almost non-stop primarily on the three top vaudeville circuits: the Pantages, the Keith and the Orpheum. The House of David also operated a world-famous amusement park and zoo.
The commune reached its peak in 1907-1927. In the 1920s, newspapers began running articles attacking Benjamin Purnell, who was accused of violating the commune's oath of celibacy. Purnell was tried for "public immorality," and 13 young women, placed under oath, confessed to having had sex with him. The trial led to Purnell's expulsion from the commune in 1927, and the former leader died in 1929. His body was mummified and kept in a glass coffin in the commune.
The group suffered further splintering after his death and ultimately split into two groups. One group, run by Purnell's wife Mary, remained successful until her death at 91 in 1953. The group has since declined, but still has a few dozen members.
Here is a link that someone provided me with. I was unable to open it on this antique computer.
For more MY TOWN MONDAY posts, see TRAVIS IRWIN
12 comments:
I always find it intriguing that many people even today feel the need to create such communities and band together.
You can see a video about the House of David at: http://www.michiganhumanities.org/programs/media/file_details.php?id=273
Thanks. I will add it in. Patti
I love these MTM post - they're all so interesting./
Power and influence certainly seem to be aphrodisiacs.
For men, I think. I'm not sure what they do for women.
No sex, haircuts or shaving? I'm surprised he had any followers - and yet he had a wife? Very interesting, must follow link.
No meat? They even give you meat in prison.
Benton Harbor was the name of Chickenman, a very brief syndicated radio show I loved in the late Sixties. When I mention this to people, they just stare at me oddly.
I don't think I ever listened to any shows on radio. I didn't even know they still had shows on then. Or was it music?
whatever happened to the mummy?
The mummy is still there in the Diamond House, (one of the three remaining mansions on the property).
-Historian/House of David Expert, Benton Harbor, MI
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