Michigan's Once-Eerie Abandoned Amusement Park Ran By A Cult Is Now Rebranded As A Recreational Hotspot

"Hey little buddy, you wanna go ride that tiny train past the concrete slab next to the RV park this Sunday? It'll be a blast. A cult used to live there and everything." Okay, Eden Springs Park isn't all that bad. In fact, the Benton Harbor, Michigan, park has blossomed quite a bit in recent years, both figuratively as an honest-to-goodness community hub and literally into a well-manicured green space. What was once home to the House of David — an anti-sex commune that occupied the grounds like a city within a city from 1903 to the late '70s — became an official historic site on the National Register of Historic Places in 2023. And yes, there really is a tiny train that you can ride every Saturday and Sunday in July, August, October, and December for $3.

But the path from abandoned cult commune to family-friendly, outdoors recreational venue wasn't exactly a fast or easy one. When Eden Springs Park Preservationists bought the property in 2009, it was a mess. It was still a mess right up to 2021, full of random bric-a-brac, untended lawns, and some of those concrete slabs mentioned earlier. But thanks to the diligent work of volunteers, Eden Springs Park is now a vibrant, welcoming space. There's the rideable train, picnic tables for groups, and a cute little museum and welcome area all within arm's reach of the Eden Springs Park RV Campground. And interestingly, this accomplishment falls at the feet of a nonprofit that officially bears the name of the cult that once lived there: Eden Springs Park at House of David.

"I am the seventh messenger!" traveling preacher Benjamin Purnell proclaimed in an 1895 service, according to the Chicago Tribune. "Fire and brimstone await those who doubt me!" By 1903, Purnell — aka, "King Ben" — and his wife Mary had dropped anchor at what is now Eden Springs Park to start their utopian commune and hold out for the apocalypse. Ostensibly a Christian-adjacent cult, members of the House of David couldn't cut their hair because hair "can absorb electricity from the air," as the Tribune quotes the cult's attorney. There was no alcohol, no meat, and no sex — except for Purnell, of course.

The House of David swelled to about 1,000 members and became a fixture of the greater Benton Harbor community. All money earned by cult members got reabsorbed into the commune, allowing it to grow into something like a small village, complete with a zoo, resort, restaurant, 100,000 acres of farmland, and High Island, a private island located in nearby Lake Michigan. Half a million tourists reportedly visited the House of David every year to visit the cult's amusement park, which contained a bowling alley, movie theater, stage performances, pony rides, and just like Eden Springs Park today, a mini-railroad. The cult even had its own jazz band and baseball team.

This utterly whackadoodle tale ended when Purnell was predictably brought up on charges related to sexual misconduct. The cult's assets were dissolved and Purnell was kicked out in 1927, but a handful of members lingered until the late '70s. After that, the whole site fell into ruin until Eden Park Preservationists bought the property in 2009.

Even though Eden Springs Park is fully open to the public, operated by volunteers, and even has a proper, signed entry portal with a ticket booth, its renovation is still ongoing — at least as of this writing. The park accepts donations via PayPal as well as lumber, hardware, paint, or anything else, really. The park grounds still contain numerous House of David-era abandoned and overgrown buildings like the cult's restaurant, greenhouse, and game room (complete with Skee-Ball). None of these buildings are open to the public. There's also a blue-painted fountain with swan statues that the park advertises as suitable for a wedding backdrop. 

Folks who are curious about the park can reach it from Grand Rapids in an hour and a half via I-196. There's even a House of David Museum — confusingly listed as the Siriano Museum on Google after its owner, Chris Siriano — that contains thousands of House of David artifacts. It's a mere 10-minute drive or so from Eden Springs Park and well worth the reminder of who once walked its grass long before the present.

If you're headed out from Grand Rapids, you can visit the best-rated, art lover-approved Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park to remind yourself just how far human hands can craft a landscape. Once out of the city, you can swing by Lansing to check out Victorian-style homes and shops that predate the House of David. Or, if you're coming from the other side of Lake Michigan near Chicago along I-94 you can check out River North, an area of the city that's equal parts art galleries and bustling nightlife. No matter what, none of it will be anything like the grounds of a former cult.