Dr. Robert V. Hine collection on The Kingdom

Collection

Identifier: MS-087

Staff Only

Collection Scope and Contents

This collection contains items pertaining to The Kingdom, a religious commune located in Shiloh, Maine. The materials in the collection were collected by Dr. Robert V. Hine as part of his general research into religious communes, and consists of his interactions with Mary Thomas and Arnold L. White, who were two former members of The Kingdom. Items in the collection include photographs, correspondence, notes, press clippings, and written rememberances about The Kingdom sent to Hines by Thomas and White. Also included are three audio reels of an interview Thomas gave to the UC Riverside Library in 1971 about her life in The Kingdom, as well as partial manuscript drafts for White's novel about The Kingdom, The Almighty and Us.

Dates

Creation: 1902-1979
Creation: Majority of material found within 1971-1979

Creator

Hine, Robert V., 1921-2015 (Person)

Languages

The collection is in English.

Access

The collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

Copyright Unknown: Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction, and/or commercial use, of some materials may be restricted by gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing agreement(s), and/or trademark rights. Distribution or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. To the extent other restrictions apply, permission for distribution or reproduction from the applicable rights holder is also required. Responsibility for obtaining permissions, and for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Biographical Note

The Kingdom was a religious commune established in Shiloh, Maine, and founded by Frank Sandford. Sandford established The Kingdom in 1897, after he became convinced that God had told him to build a home for a Bible school on top of a hill near Durham, Maine. His school quickly expanded to become a settlement with more than six hundred residents at its height, all of whom worked for no pay and followed Sandford's strict vision of apocalyptic Christianity. Poor living conditions, along with prescribed fasting and Sandford's rejection of medicine led a number of his followers to die of disease and malnutrition, and led to Sandford being tried for manslaughter in 1903 and 1911. The Shiloh community was disbanded in 1920, but The Kingdom continued on and still exists today.

Mary Thomas was born in Shiloh, Maine, on April 24, 1904. Her parents were Canadian immigrants who arrived at Shiloh in 1900. Thomas and her family moved out of the main Shiloh community building when she was eleven years old, and lived on a farm that was part of the commune. Towards the end of her life, she moved and resided in Riverside, California.

Arnold L. White was also a member of The Kingdom, born in Brunswick, Maine, on January 27, 1890. He and his family arrived in Shiloh in 1902. White left the commune and later resided in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In 1979, he wrote a novel about his experiences, called The Almighty and Us: The Inside Story of Shiloh, Maine.

Dr. Robert V. Hine was a professor in the Department of History at the University of California, Riverside, who researched the commune movement in the United States.

Extent

0.42 Linear Feet (1 box)

Additional Description

Abstract

The Dr. Robert V. Hine collection on the Kingdom contains documents, correspondence, photographs, audio reels, and press clippings collected by Dr. Hine from Mary Thomas and Arnold L. White, who were members of the religious commune The Kingdom. The Kingdom, informally known as Shiloh, was an evangelical Christian sect founded in Maine in 1897 by Frank Sandford. The majority of the collection documents Thomas' and White's recollections of the living experience within Shiloh, as well as their interactions with Dr. Robert V. Hine as part of his research on The Kingdom.

Collection Arrangement

The collection is arranged topically by folder title.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Dr. Robert V. Hine, 1975, 1976, and 1979.

Processing History

This collection was processed by Julianna Gil, Student Processing Assistant, in 2017.

Processing of the Dr. Robert V. Hine collection on The Kingdom was completed by undergraduate students from the University of California, Riverside as part of the Special Collections & University Archives Backlog Processing Project started in 2015. This project was funded by the UCR Library and administered by Jessica Geiser, Collections Management Librarian.