Film tells stories of House of David history in Benton Harbor, Michigan
A new documentary film covers the history of the former House of David communal religious society in Benton Harbor and its properties around the world, from its amusement park, zoo, cruise ships and trolley cars to 100,000 acres of farmland and a diamond mine in Australia.
The film will be shown over the coming month at area theaters.
"House of David, Life Everlasting" also includes rare footage from the 1920s and 1930s of the House of David’s baseball team with beards and long hair, the only all-white team to play in the Negro leagues. And it delves into controversies about the society’s leader, Benjamin Purnell.
Producers Rob Byrd and Chris Siriano spoke with authorities across the country and included more than 800 images from the past century. Siriano is founder and director of the House of David Baseball Museum in St. Joseph and author of "The House of David.”
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The two-hour film was released July 8. There are plans to air it on TV via PBS nationwide this fall. Here’s where it can be seen locally:
⋅ July 16: 10 a.m. at Wonderland Theatre, Niles; $4.
⋅ July 22: 7 p.m. at Celebration Cinema, Benton Harbor; regular ticket price.
⋅ July 23-24: 4 p.m. at Celebration Cinema, Benton Harbor; regular ticket price.
⋅ July 30: 4 p.m. at The Mendel Center’s Hanson Theatre at Lake Michigan College, Benton Harbor; $10.
⋅ Aug. 12: 7 p.m. at Century Center, South Bend; $10.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: House of David in Benton Harbor history told in documentary film
