The House of David continues to operate here in Michigan to everyone's surprise. Most communes which prohibited sex (not to mention haircuts) have pretty much gone away, but this Utopian dream persists with a wonderful park, restaurant, museum and a fascinating history. Founded in 1903, the religious commune became known primarily for their barnstorming baseball team, they also had a top-notch musical band which toured the vaudeville circuit (shown here "Miles Davis" style). It is a terrible historical flaw that no known recordings of the band exist, but one well-known tune "The House of David Blues" has been recorded by many groups. One source even indicates the tune caused the Harlem Globetrotters to begin using "Sweet Georgia Brown" as a response to the House of David Basketball team playing of this song before games (!) A fascinating story which this post can only BEGIN to tell. Many more tales and artifacts are available on the incredible House of David Museum website
House of David Real Photo Postcard c. 1930 collection Jim Linderman
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