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Other titles in the Images of America series:

The House of David (Images of America)

by Christopher Siriano

ISBN13: 9780738550824
ISBN10: 0738550825
All Product Details

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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

In 1903, Benjamin Purnell, a long-haired, bearded itinerant preacher, arrived in Benton Harbor. He and his wife, Mary, stepped out of their covered

preacher's wagon, and gazing across a thriving summer resort, they saw their long-awaited paradise. Acquiring this paradise, they established a religious

colony called the House of David, which grew to over 1,000 members from around the world, with phenomenal talents in music, sports, entertainment, and architecture. A pre-Disneyland-type amusement park was constructed, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. As the colony's leader, the very charismatic and convincing Purnell called himself a brother to Jesus, and members flocked in, handing over their homes, wealth, and worldly possessions for the promise of everlasting life, creating huge wealth. Soon they built exquisite mansions, hotels, restaurants, cruise ships, factories, and miniature railroads. Holdings included diamond and gold mines, an island in Lake Michigan, thousands of acres of farmland, an Australian resort, an art studio, orchestras, vaudeville acts, a famous bearded baseball team, and more. This book will take readers on the fascinating journey of the House of David.

Book News Annotation:

Benton Harbor, Michigan, a thriving summer resort at the time, may not sound like the ideal place to found paradise, but it certainly suited itinerant preacher Benjamin Purnell and his wife Mary. They founded a religious colony there which grew to over a thousand members, many of whom were skilled in entertainment and architecture. Purnell became exceedingly rich as adherents signed over their possessions and soon his investments, such as the colony's amusement park paid off in hundreds of thousands in attendance annually. The colony boasted hotels, restaurants, cruise ships, private islands, mansions, factories and miniature railroads. Siriano, founder of the House of David museum, has compiled hundreds of fascinating images, including many of the colony's famous bearded baseball team and orchestras, tracing the growth of what soon became one of the biggest faith-based enterprises in America. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

About the Author

Christopher Siriano, founder and director of the House of David Museum, spent over 15 years building archives, traveling countrywide doing research, interviewing thousands of individuals, and compiling the world's largest collection of House of David history. Siriano's efforts have been written about in many midwestern medias, including television, newspapers, and radio. His work on a documentary for PBS has hopes to air in 2008. It is through Siriano's House of David Museum that this book was made possible.

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Product Details

ISBN:: 9780738550824
Author:: Siriano, Christopher
Publisher:: Arcadia Publishing (SC)
Subject:: United States - State & Local - General
Subject:: United States - State & Local - Midwest
Subject:: United States - General
Subject:: JEW;REL
Subject:: Mi-
Subject:: History
Subject:: House of David
Subject:: House of David - History
Edition Description:: Arcadia Publishing
Series:: Images of America
Publication Date:: September 2007
Binding:: Paperback
Grade Level:: General/trade
Language:: English
Illustrations:: Y
Pages:: 128
Dimensions:: 9.20x6.56x.35 in. .71 lbs.

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