Evelyn Sterne, History Department
In 1903, preachers Mary and Benjamin Purnell moved to Benton Harbor, Michigan, to found a commune called the House of David. Its members were Christian Israelites, who sought to assemble the remnants of the lost tribes of Israel in a new Jerusalem and believed this ingathering of 144,000 would never die. They relinquished all assets, practiced celibacy, and renounced meat, hair-cutting, and traditional family ties — in exchange for community, economic security, and the promise of immortality. The Israelites sought refuge from the abuses of industrial capitalism even as they embraced modern popular culture by running a successful amusement park, performing in the colony’s touring musical groups, and playing on barnstorming baseball teams. The commune thrived into the 1960s – and lingers on as a tiny remnant today — despite a steady stream of financial and sexual scandals, a torrent of litigation, and obsessive coverage in the press. It defied the odds to become one of the longest lasting intentional communities in United States history.
This talk – based on Evelyn Sterne’s forthcoming book (The House of David: Salvation, Scandal and Survival in a Modern American Commune, Oxford University Press, 2025) – analyzes why critics were determined to discredit the House of David and what that reveals about limits to religious toleration, and debates over what constituted “religion,” at a pivotal moment in U.S. history.
