The House of David, originally known as the Israelite House of David, is a religious community founded by Benjamin and Mary Purnell in Benton Harbor, Michigan, in 1903. In 1895, Benjamin received a revelation that he was the “seventh messenger,” a biblical role described in the Book of Revelations. This “angel” was charged with gathering followers to prepare for the second coming of Jesus Christ.

The House of David colony grew to more than 900 members by the 1920s, and owned about 1,000 acres of land. Members were required to assign all personal property to the community and to adhere to a vow of “poverty, obedience, and chastity.” They undertook many ventures including farming, an amusement park, vegetarian restaurants, orchestras and bands, a printing press, and a zoological garden. The House of David is famous for their barnstorming baseball teams, with men required to play with long hair and beards.

The community also experienced controversy and legal issues, especially during the 1920s when Benjamin Purnell was accused of sexual relations with several of the community’s underage girls. The state of Michigan also questioned the colony’s tax exempt status. Purnell died in December 1927 before his case could be tried in court and around the time he was ordered to leave the colony.

The legal issues and power struggles within the colony lead to a split in 1929-1930, when Mary Purnell formed her own new colony known as the Israelite House of David as Re-organized by Mary Purnell, or more simply Mary’s City of David. Both communities prospered until the mid-1970s and continue to present day.