[1] The House of David commune was formed in 1861 by Benjamin Franklin Purnell.

After a career as itinerant preachers, Purnell and his wife settled in Benton Harbor in 1903.

[2] However, after World War II, societal changed caused fewer people to visit Eden Springs.

The zoo was closed in 1945, baseball teams disbanded in the 1950s, and stage shows that had previously been put on halted in the 1960s.

[3][4] Eden Springs Park contains the historic Eden Springs amusement park, as well as zoological gardens, rental cabins, and a baseball field.