&sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:House_of_David_Eden_Springs.jpg) Image of House of David and Eden Springs Amusement park in 1910. Miniature railroad depot can be seen in the background. | |
| Founder | |
|---|---|
| Benjamin and Mary Purnell | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Benton Harbor, Michigan | |
| Official website | |
Mary's City of David | |
&sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:USA_Michigan_location_map.svg)  Location within the state of Michigan &sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:Usa_edcp_location_map.svg) House of David (commune) (the United States) | |
| Location | 1158 E. Britain Ave., Benton Charter Township, Michigan  United States |
| Coordinates | 42°6′32″N 86°25′51″W / 42.10889°N 86.43083°W |
| NRHP reference No. | 09000201 |
| Added to NRHP | April 15, 2009 |
The House of David (formally The Israelite House of David) is a religious group founded in Benton Harbor, Michigan, in March 1903.[1] It was co-founded by spouses Benjamin Purnell (1861–1927) and Mary Purnell (1862–1953). The Purnells claimed to be the successors to Joanna Southcott (1750–1814), an English woman who had built a following as a self-described religious prophetess. The community flourished in the 1910s, but declined and split in various factions in the 1920s, after Benjamin Purnell was accused of sexual immorality. Today, only a handful of members remain. [2][3]
- ^ Mumford, Lou (14 July 2011). "House of David tales more fiction than fact". The South Bend Tribune. Archived from the original on April 15, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
- ^ The colorful history of Michigan's House of David https://www.detroitnews.com/picture-gallery/news/local/michigan-history/2018/03/06/the-colorful-history-of-michigans-house-of-david/32674183/
- ^ Deborah Madden, "Israelites in America: The House of David and Mary's City of David, Benton Harbor," in Jane Shaw and Philip Lockley, eds., The History of a Modern Millennial Movement: The Southcottians, London and New York: I.B. Tauris, 2017, 140-163.