HOUSE OF DAVID (ISRAELITE GROUP FORMED BASEBALL TEAM--BENTON HARBOR ,(MI) SEE MORE NEW ADDED PHOTOS!

PLEASE SEE ALL PHOTOS PHOTOS

SEE store front--Old photo of HOUSE OF DAVID (store or meeting place c. 1915)---The House of David was formed by Benjamin and Mary Purnell in 1903 after settling in Benton Harbor, Michigan.

PHOTO #4 photo is vintage sheet music cover 1923 showing "House Of David Blues" showing the band with long beards-and the other
Photo 2 1928 H.O.DS. team with what looks like could be part of the structure in photo #1.(My candid)
In 1906, the House owned about 1,000 acres, on which the colony harvested fruit from a dozen orchards and cultivated grain. The commune had its own cannery, carpenter shop, coach factory, tailor shop, and steam laundry. They also owned and operated their own electricity plant, providing lighting to the community. It had three brass bands ( 1 affiliated with John Philip Sousa) and two orchestras, and a zoological garden.[2]

Character assassination arose in the 1920s towards Benjamin F. Purnell (founder)by 13 young women confessing, under oath to the court, that they had sexual relations with the patriarch while still minors. As soon as this became public knowledge, the Detroit Free Press and other newspapers ran critical articles about Purnell, and was proved innocent and then passed away in 1927.
Purnell was a sports enthusiast and encouraged the members of the Israelite Community to play sports, especially baseball, to build physical and spiritual discipline.
************************In 1913, the House of David began to play competitive BASEBALL and by 1915, they were following a grueling schedule. The House of David became famous as a barnstorming baseball team which toured rural America from the 1920s through the 1950s, playing amateur and semi-pro teams in exhibition games. The team members wore long hair and beards as they played.
By the late 1920s, needing more skilled players, the House began hiring professionals, the most notable being Grover Cleveland Alexander, Satchel Paige, and Mordecai Brown. Some professional players grew their beards out to show respect while others wore false beards. They were known for their skill and played against some of the greatest teams in the country. The House of David played against Major League, Minor League, independent and Negro League teams, with all the same spirit of competition and fair play. At one point, the community had three separate barnstorming teams touring the country, playing and drawing crowds.. The House of David teams were famous for inventing "pepper" baseball tricks, along the lines of the fancy basketball moves of the Harlem Globetrotters.

The House of David continued to sponsor barnstorming teams well into the 1930s and then sponsored weekend semi-professional teams until the 1940s. Mary's City of David sent out barnstorming teams from 1930 until 1940 and then again from 1946 until 1955.
Throughout this period, there were NUMEROUS teams which bore the House of David name and wore beards!! The most famous was probably the Black House of David, an all African-American "Barn-storming" team that played solely against teams of the Negro Leagues.

NOTE MY PHOTO #1--SEE WRITING ON STORE WINDOW "_____ OF DAVID" maybe the miniature RR depot.? So much time has past , if we had a map it might help. Note too a horse in front and dog to right. Group of men loiter around.The House of David operated a world-famous zoo and amusement park.

One of the main attractions at The Springs of Eden Park was the coal powered miniature locomotives, purchased in 1908. Similar locomotives were seen at the 1904 Worlds Fair in St. Louis The trains were used to carry people to the amusement park from the main entrance to the amusements Additional amusement at the park included miniature racing cars, restaurant, penny arcade, pony rides, and dances and shows at the amphitheater.

The park closed in the 1970s and the land left fallow. In 2000, one of the trains was purchased by the Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation Group
My dad, with the Chicago "White Sox" ( as 2nd baseman on the Summer League Minors played a game with the House Of David Team--and that is how I came to know about it!! He was IMPRESSED! When I was small we visited Benton Harbor and must have taken in some of the exciting sights. I have a photo of myself at what I believe was the zoo. My uncle was in a WW11 uniform so must have been wartime.