by In the early 20th century, an unlikely amusement park blossomed on the outskirts of Benton Harbor. This wasn’t a commercial enterprise, but the creation of a religious commune known as the Israelite House of David. The History of House of David Park, Michigan, is a tale of faith-driven idealism, spectacular public entertainment, and an eventual decline marked by scandal.
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Video – The House of David – Benton Harbor’s 1900s Amusement Park
In the 1930s, House of David Park, Michigan dazzled visitors with a zoo, miniature railroad, and even a bearded baseball team. This uplifting yet tragic history will surprise you – see how a utopia crumbled after scandal
A Paradise of Faith and Fun
Once touted as a “Michigan Wonderland”, the park attracted tourists from around the world – all while its long-bearded proprietors quietly preached about the coming apocalypse. This article delves into the remarkable history of House of David Park, weaving through its religious origins, rise as a beloved amusement destination, and the poignant lessons of its decline.
Origins of the House of David Commune
The story begins with Benjamin Franklin Purnell and his wife, Mary. In 1903, the Purnells founded the Israelite House of David in Benton Harbor, claiming divine inspiration for a new utopian society. They preached a strict creed: members had to renounce alcohol, tobacco, meat, and personal property, and even abstain from sex and haircuts. The faithful stood out immediately – men sported flowing beards and women uncut hair, believing that hair absorbed vital energy from God. Despite these austere rules, the commune offered a supportive, if peculiar, lifestyle.
By 1907, the colony had a few hundred members, and within a decade, it grew to over 1,000 followers united under “King Ben” Purnell’s leadership. Everyone worked and shared the fruits of labor. The commune amassed over 1,000 acres of land and various businesses, including farms, carpenter shops, a cannery, and an electricity plant. Remarkably, the House of David also embraced music and sports as forms of worshipful recreation. In their free time, members formed a brass band and spent hours playing baseball on freshly cut diamonds. These wholesome pastimes would soon set the stage for something truly extraordinary: a full-fledged amusement park built and run by the commune.
The Rise of Eden Springs – Faith Meets Amusement
In 1908, the House of David opened Eden Springs Park to the public. At first glance, Eden Springs looked like any other bustling turn-of-the-century amusement park – but it carried a unique spiritual mission. Benjamin Purnell believed the park could both entertain and enlighten visitors, showing the joyous, harmonious life his commune enjoyed. And entertain it did! By the mid-1910s, the park was drawing enormous crowds. Over half a million visitors per year flocked to Eden Springs at its peak – an astounding number that turned Benton Harbor into a major regional tourist draw.
What made House of David Park so special? For one, its attractions were abundant and ahead of their time. Key highlights from the history of House of David Park Michigan include:
Miniature Steam Railroad
A scaled-down coal-powered train that carried passengers around the park. This ride was the park’s crown jewel; two little locomotives (inspired by trains seen at the 1904 World’s Fair) tugged train cars along a scenic loop. They even shuttled visitors from the main road into the park’s entrance, offering a grand tour of the grounds for just a few cents.
Midget Auto Speedway
Long before go-karts, Eden Springs had a miniature car racetrack. Children (and brave adults) could drive tiny gasoline-powered cars around a banked track, simulating the thrills of auto racing. It was a crowd favorite, often watched by smiling House of David elders and parents lining the rails.
Zoological Gardens
The commune established a small zoo on site, boasting exotic creatures you wouldn’t expect in rural Michigan. There were lions, tigers, bears, monkeys, an aviary filled with peacocks, cockatoos and even a few emus – giving Eden Springs an exotic flair. A large pond stocked with goldfish and koi added a peaceful touch amid the excitement.
Recreation and Sports
The park featured a regulation-size baseball stadium, home to the House of David’s very own baseball team. The team, comprised of commune members with their signature long beards, became nationally famous for their talent. They frequently played exhibition games against visiting teams; one postcard from 1916 shows a game versus the Chicago Union Giants (an African-American ballclub), drawing a big integrated crowd. Nearby, the park had bowling alleys and pony rides for more leisurely fun.
Beer Garden and Dining
Despite their no-alcohol rules, the House of David ran a popular “beer garden” – essentially an outdoor restaurant with picnic tables under the trees. They likely served their homemade fruit juices, cider, and vegetarian meals (the commune was vegetarian) to hungry tourists. It was a spot to relax and enjoy live music.
Open-Air Dance Hall & Theater
Eden Springs boasted an open-air theater with an adjacent dance pavilion. On summer evenings, the House of David band – which had grown into a renowned jazz and ragtime ensemble – would play for the crowds. Couples, including outsiders and commune members, danced under twinkling lights to both secular and sacred tunes. The atmosphere was electric with joy and a sense of community.
Arcades and Oddities
The park didn’t skimp on classic amusements. There was a penny arcade full of the latest coin-operated machines, a photography studio, and souvenir shops selling postcards and the commune’s famous fruit jams. A striking miniature lighthouse built around 1928 became a quirky park landmark (it was removed in mid-century but has since been reconstructed on the grounds). A graceful fountain and well-kept flowerbeds gave Eden Springs a postcard-perfect look.
By all accounts, House of David Park was a smashing success in the 1910s and 1920s. It blended family-friendly fun with the commune’s work ethic and showmanship. The Purnells’ group reinvested every dollar earned back into improving the park and supporting the “City of David” they were building. The result was an operation that rivaled the early Disney parks in charm and exceeded many peers in scope. It’s no wonder that the history of House of David Park Michigan still evokes fascination – it was an unlikely marriage of religion and entertainment that somehow worked brilliantly, at least for a time.
Scandal and Decline – The Fall of an Utopia
In the late 1920s, the harmonious image of the House of David cracked. Rumors had swirled for years that Benjamin Purnell was not the virtuous leader he claimed to be. In 1926, those rumors became front-page news as Purnell was accused of sexual misconduct by several underage female followers. The man who forbade his flock from intercourse was allegedly taking “spiritual brides” in secret. Authorities raided the colony, and a flurry of court cases ensued. Purnell denied the accusations, but while the legal battles dragged on, his health deteriorated. In December 1927, Benjamin Purnell died of tuberculosis – effectively ending his control over the commune before any conviction.
His death triggered a schism. Half the members, still devoted to Purnell’s teachings, rallied behind his widow Mary Purnell, who founded a separate colony just down the road in 1930, pointedly named Mary’s City of David. The other half of the believers tried to continue the original House of David under new leadership. This split had profound effects on the park. The two groups divided the commune’s assets, and for a while two adjacent parks operated in Benton Harbor – one run by Mary’s faction and the other by the remaining original group. Inevitably, cooperation turned into rivalry and resource scarcity.
Meanwhile, the Great Depression hit. Despite a brief uptick in popularity in the 1930s (oddly, after Purnell’s fall, the park was said to be “insanely popular” with thousands of visitors daily in that decade), the twin challenges of economic hardship and internal strife took their toll. By the 1940s, the glory days were undeniably fading. World War II saw young men go off to war, gasoline rationing (hurting travel to the park), and changing public tastes. The House of David’s strict lifestyle attracted fewer new recruits, especially with the no-marriage, no-children rule discouraging the next generation. The commune’s membership, which once exceeded 1,000, dwindled dramatically.
Many attractions closed or fell into disrepair: the zoo shut down in 1945, the dance hall stopped hosting events, and the baseball team – once a symbol of the commune’s vitality – disbanded in the 1950s. Photographs from the 1960s show peeling paint on the roller coaster rails, an empty, cracked swimming pool (yes, they had a pool, too), and weeds overtaking the edges of the auto track. A haunting stillness replaced the laughter and music.
Finally, in 1973, House of David Park closed its gates for good. What remained was almost eerie: old amusement rides and buildings slowly decaying behind padlocked fences. Locals recall it as an abandoned curiosity – a once-bright place overtaken by the quiet of passing time. Only a handful of elderly members of the House of David and Mary’s City of David lingered on, caretakers of a fast-fading legacy.
What is the legacy of the House of David today?
For decades, the story of House of David Park seemed destined to end in ruins. However, the new millennium brought a change of fortune. Local historians and volunteers – many fascinated by the legends of dancing bearded men and tiny trains – formed the Eden Springs Park Preservation Society around 2009. They acquired part of the old parkland, which still contained many original structures: a concrete shell of the dining hall, remnants of the power plant, the overgrown train tracks, and even a few of the miniature train cars.
With immense community support, they began restoring Eden Springs in stages. In 2011, to everyone’s delight, the miniature railroad roared back to life, offering rides once again to visitors on summer weekends. Volunteers cleared brush, rebuilt the little depot, and repaired one of the antique steam locomotives to working order.
Today, the site operates as a historical attraction called Eden Springs Park at House of David. It’s a modest but charming revival. Visitors can camp at a small RV park on the grounds and take guided tours of the remaining House of David structures, learning about the remarkable people who built this place.
Seasonal events have been reintroduced – from Halloween haunted train rides to festive Christmas light tours on the miniature train. While most of the original rides (the carousels, the auto speedway, etc.) are long gone, the spirit of wonder lives on. In a poetic full circle, the House of David Park was officially recognized for its historical significance by being listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2023.
The history of House of David Park Michigan continues to captivate us because it’s more than just the tale of an amusement park. It’s the human story of a community that dared to be different – blending devout spirituality with joyous public entertainment. Few could have imagined that a celibate, vegetarian religious sect would run one of the Midwest’s busiest resorts for decades. Fewer still could have predicted how spectacularly it would flourish and then falter. The park’s legacy is preserved in photographs, in the echoes of old songs and laughter beneath the trees, and now in the renewed Eden Springs Park that both honors and reinterprets that legacy.
Final Thoughts About the House of David Park
House of David Park is often remembered with a mix of nostalgia and astonishment. Nostalgia for the simpler times of band concerts in gazeboes, family picnics by the pond, and thrilling miniature train rides – and astonishment that all of it was the work of a secluded religious commune with an extraordinary vision. The park’s story reflects the dual nature of utopian dreams: the incredible heights that faith and unity can reach, and the frailties of the humans who lead them.
In the end, House of David Park left an indelible mark on Michigan’s cultural landscape. It taught generations that history can be truly stranger than fiction. Today, as visitors, young and old, take a slow ride on the restored miniature train, they aren’t just enjoying a quaint attraction – they are traveling through the living history of House of David Park, Michigan. In this place, faith, hope, and joy built an oasis that time nearly forgot.
FAQ About the House of David
What is the story behind the House of David?
The House of David was a religious commune founded in 1903 in Benton Harbor, Michigan by Benjamin Purnell and his wife Mary Purnell. The group believed they were the true descendants of the biblical House of David and that Purnell was the Seventh Messenger foretold in the Book of Revelation. Their goal: to prepare for the return of Christ and the establishment of a new kingdom on Earth.
Key Beliefs and Practices:
Celibacy: Members were required to remain celibate, including married couples.
Communal Living: Property and labor were shared among the members.
Vegetarianism: Meat was forbidden; the colony grew and canned its own produce.
Long Hair and Beards: Men did not cut their hair or beards, believing it preserved spiritual energy.
Pacifism and Abstinence: Alcohol, tobacco, and sex were all banned.
Where is the House of David located?
The House of David is located in Benton Harbor, Michigan, in Berrien County, in the southwest corner of the state near Lake Michigan. The original commune occupied over 1,000 acres on Britain Avenue and adjacent roads, with most of the central activity centered around what became Eden Springs Park.
Today, remnants of the original colony can still be found at:
Eden Springs Park at the House of David (793 M-139, Benton Harbor, MI 49022) – This site includes restored sections of the miniature railroad and some original buildings.
Mary’s City of David (1158 E. Britain Ave.) – A separate colony formed by Mary Purnell in 1930 after a leadership split.
If you’re visiting the area, signs and preserved structures still mark both locations, and limited tours or seasonal events are sometimes available, particularly at Eden Springs.
Works Cited – House of David Benton Harbor
Milner, Richard. “Michigan’s Once-Eerie Abandoned Amusement Park Ran By A Cult Is Now Rebranded As A Recreational Hotspot.” Islands, 21 July 2025.
Robinson, John. “The Former House of David Amusement Park, Benton Harbor.” 99.1 WFMK, 14 Feb. 2022.
Sonnenberg, Mike. “The Strange Story about The Rise and Fall of the House Of David.” Lost In Michigan, 2 Jan. 2023.
“Eden Springs Park.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, last modified 10 Feb. 2024.
House of David (Religious society). David V. Tinder Collection of Michigan Photography, William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan. Digital image examples: Beer Garden postcard; Train Depot postcard; Baseball Grounds postcard; Midget Autos postcard.
