Finding aid to Peoples Temple ephemera and publications, 1959-1979,
MS 4124
Finding aid prepared by Frances Wratten Kaplan
California Historical Society
678 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA, 94105-4014
(415) 357-1848
reference@calhist.org
2011
Title: Peoples Temple ephemera and publications
Date (inclusive): 1959-1979
Date (bulk): 1973-1978
Collection Identifier: MS
4124
Extent:
1 box, 1 oversize box
(2.0 linear feet)
Repository:
California Historical Society
678 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
415-357-1848
URL: http://www.californiahistoricalsociety.org/
Location of Materials: Collection is stored onsite.
Language of Materials: Collection materials are in
English.
Abstract: The bulk of the collection consists of printed
materials generated by Peoples Temple pertaining to their activities in the United
States and in Jonestown, the agricultural project started by Jim Jones in Guyana.
Includes promotional materials such as periodicals, flyers, brochures, newletters,
fundraising materials and issues of
Peoples Forum,
the Peoples Temple newspaper.
Access
Publication Rights
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials
must be submitted in writing to the Director of the Library and Archives, North
Baker Research Library, California Historical Society, 678 Mission Street, San
Francisco, CA 94105. Consent is given on behalf of the California Historical Society
as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply
permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the
copyright owner. Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original
materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational
purposes.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Peoples Temple ephemera and publications, MS 4124,
California Historical Society
Related Collection(s)
Manuscript Collections:
Peoples Temple records, 1922-1984, MS 3800
Federal Bureau of Investigation collection of Peoples Temple papers from Jonestown,
Guyana, 1931-1978, MS 3801
Moore family papers, 1968-1988, MS 3802
John R. Hall research materials on Peoples Temple, 1954-2003, MS 3803
Ross E. Case collection pertaining to Peoples Temple, 1961-1984, MS 4062
Margaret T. Singer materials on Peoples Temple, 1956-1998, MS 4123
Newspaper clippings on Peoples Temple: photocopies, 1953-1978, MS 4125
Peoples Temple miscellany, 1951-2011, MS 4126
Photography Collections:
Photographs from Peoples Temple miscellany, 1966-1978, MSP 4126
Photographs from Peoples Temple records, 1941-1983, MSP 3800
Photographs of Peoples Temple in the United States and Guyana, 1967-1978, PC 010
Acquisition Information
Materials in Peoples Temple ephemera and publications have been acquired at different
times from various sources. Many of the materials in the collection were donated to
the California Historical Society by surviving members of Peoples Temple and their
families. Other materials were received from members of the general public.
Accruals
Future additions are expected.
System of Arrangement
Peoples Temple ephemera and publications is arranged into 4 series: Series 1: Press
releases; Series 2: Fundraising materials; Series 3: Brochures, flyers and mailings;
Series 4: Periodicals.
The arrangement of the collection was imposed by California Historical Society
staff.
Processing Information
Processed by Denice Stephenson in 2006. Re-processed by Frances Wratten Kaplan in
2011.
History of Peoples Temple
Peoples Temple began as a church founded by Jim and Marceline Jones and a small group
of parishioners in Indianapolis in 1955. As pastor, Jim Jones preached to a
racially-integrated congregation during Pentecostal-based services that included
healings and sermons on integration and class conflicts. Peoples Temple conducted
food drives; opened a "free restaurant" that served thousands of meals to the city's
poor in the early 1960s; operated nursing homes; and hosted weekly television and
radio programs featuring their integrated choir. The church became well known in the
Indianapolis press for the members' integration activities and for their assertions
of their pastor's gifts as a healer. The church became affiliated with the Disciples
of Christ denomination in 1960.
In the summer of 1965, the Jones family and approximately one hundred Peoples Temple
members relocated to Redwood Valley, a rural community eight miles north of Ukiah in
Mendocino County. Peoples Temple conducted church services and meetings in rented
and borrowed spaces until 1969 when they finished building their own church with a
swimming pool, an animal shelter, gardens, and a community kitchen. By this time,
the church's membership had grown to three hundred.
In 1970, Jim Jones began to preach in cities throughout California. Recruiting drives
in African American communities in San Francisco and Los Angeles increased Peoples
Temple membership to over twenty-five hundred by 1973. Some members lived in
communal housing and worked full time for Peoples Temple. Others contributed
significant portions of their income and property to the church. The church's
operations included real estate management; home care facilities for seniors and
youths; publishing and bookkeeping services; mail order services; and maintenance of
a fleet of buses to transport members to services throughout the state and across
the country. Tens of thousands of people, including politicians and members of other
congregations, attended Peoples Temple services between 1970 and 1977.
The leadership of Peoples Temple voted to establish an agricultural and rural
development mission in Guyana, South America in the fall of 1973. Over the next two
years, members traveled to Guyana to scout a location for the mission; establish a
residence in Georgetown, the capital of Guyana; clear the land; and begin
construction at the site. The building plans for the community which became known as
Jonestown included farm buildings, a large communal kitchen, medical facilities,
schools, dormitory-style housing, small cabins, a day care center and a large
open-air pavilion that became the community's central meeting place.
By 1976, Peoples Temple had moved its headquarters from Redwood Valley to San
Francisco and had become involved in citywide electoral politics. They published
their own newspaper,
Peoples Forum; staged rallies and
events for local and national political figures; and were vocal in their support of
causes such as freedom of the press, affirmative action, and gay rights. In the fall
of 1976, recently elected Mayor George Moscone appointed Jim Jones to the San
Francisco Housing Authority. Jones served as its chairman until he left for Guyana
the following year.
In 1977, former members and relatives organized a group called the Concerned
Relatives to protest Jones's treatment of church members. Child custody issues and
living conditions in Jonestown were at the center of the conflict between Peoples
Temple and the Concerned Relatives. Both sides filed lawsuits, sought public support
through the media, and appealed to government officials for protection. Media
coverage of Peoples Temple practices and political activities led the government to
investigate the church's financial and social welfare programs. Peoples Temple began
to close many of their businesses, sell their properties, and relocate hundreds of
their members to Guyana.
In response to issues raised by the media and former members, California Congressman
Leo Ryan scheduled a trip to Jonestown in November 1978. By this time, more than a
thousand Peoples Temple members were living in Guyana. His staff, members of
Concerned Relatives, Embassy officials, and journalists accompanied Ryan on an
overnight visit to Jonestown. As the congressional party left for the airstrip at
Port Kaituma, sixteen disaffected Jonestown residents accompanied Ryan. As the group
boarded two small airplanes at the airstrip, Peoples Temple members drove up on
tractors and began shooting. They killed Ryan, three journalists, and a Peoples
Temple member. That same day, November 18, 1978, more than nine hundred people died,
most by cyanide poisoning, in Jonestown; four other members died in Georgetown.
More than eighty Peoples Temple members survived the deaths in Guyana: people who
lived through the airstrip shootings; Jonestown residents who left the community
before and during the poisonings; and members who were in Georgetown and on boats.
Hundreds of Peoples Temple members had remained in the U.S., many of them in
California.
Scope and Contents
The bulk of the collection consists of printed materials generated by Peoples Temple
pertaining to its activities in the United States and in Jonestown, the agricultural
project started by Jim Jones in Guyana. During its existence, Peoples Temple was a
prolific publisher of promotional and fundraising materials aimed at increasing the
profile of the church, recruiting members, and raising money to support its
programs. Between 1975 and 1978 investigative reports by journalists and accusations
made by a group known as Concerned Relatives caused the church to generate materials
defending itself and Jim Jones against various allegations.
Series 1, Press releases, consists of press releases, newsletters, testimonials, and
open letters to newspaper editors publicizing the work of Peoples Temple and
defending Jim Jones and Peoples Temple against criticism from the media, in
particular a series of critical articles in
New West
magazine by reporters Marshall Kilduff and Phil Tracy. This series includes news
articles and editorials about Peoples Temple from the
Fresno
Bee
,
Indianapolis Recorder,
San Francisco Chronicle,
San
Francisco Examiner
, and
Sun Reporter.
Also includes materials produced by Concerned Relatives in their efforts to gain
public support for a government investigation into Jim Jones and Jonestown.
Series 2, Fundraising materials, includes samples of organizational stationary used
for promotional campaigns, gift tags for use in the sale of items made in Jonestown,
and printed invitations and programs for a Peoples Temple benefit dinner in San
Francisco scheduled for December 2, 1978. The bulk of the material in this series
consists of direct mail appeals sent out by Peoples Temple to promote church
services, increase membership, and raise funds for the church.
Series 3, Brochures, flyers and mailings, consists of materials advertising church
services and promoting Peoples Temple as a community church. Includes flyers for
healing services and community events; calendars and programs of church services; a
1977 Peoples Temple Agricultural progress report about Jonestown; a booklet written
by Jim Jones as “Father Divine”; and a catalog of Peoples Temple assets auctioned on
Wednesday, March 14, 1979. The auction was held after the deaths in Guyana and was
organized by Robert Fabian, the court-appointed receiver responsible for the
dissolution of Peoples Temple after the events of November 1978.
Series 4, Periodicals, includes issues of
Peoples
Forum
, the Peoples Temple newspaper,
The Temple
Reporter
, a newsletter, and
The Living
Word
, a booklet and magazine of Peoples Temple Christian Church that
included articles, photos, testimonials, and a schedule of monthly events.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Concerned Relatives and Citizens
Committee.
Jones, Jim, 1931-1978.
Peoples Temple Agricultural
Mission.
Peoples Temple.
Jonestown Mass Suicide, Jonestown, Guyana, 1978.
Box 1, Folder 1
Concerned Relatives and Truth Squad press releases
1978
Box 1, Folder 2
Press releases, open letters to the media, editorials, and news
clippings
1964-1978
Fundraising materials
1973-1978, undated
Box 1, Folder 3
Direct mail appeals and responses
1973-1978
Box 1, Folder 4
Stationary samples
undated
Box 1, Folder 5
Made in Jonestown tag
undated
Box 1, Folder 6
Peoples Temple Benefit Dinner invitation
1978 December 2
Scope and Contents
Invitation and program for a benefit dinner to raise money for the
medical program in Jonestown, Guyana. The Hon. Willie Brown was to be
the master of ceremonies at the event and guest speakers were to include
Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett, Dick Gregory, Donald Freed, and Peoples Temple
attorneys Charles Garry and Mark Lane.
Brochures, flyers and mailings
1959-1979,
(bulk, 1970-1978)
Box 1, Folder 7
Jonestown brochures and flyers
1975-1978
Box 1, Folder 8
Public auction flyers
1979
Scope and Contents
Auction flyers and inventory list produced by Robert Fabian, a lawyer
appointed by the California courts to oversee the dissolution of Peoples
Temple after the events of November 18, 1978.
Box 1, Folder 9
Brochures, flyers, and calendars
1970s
Box 1, Folder 10
Pastor Jones Meets Rev. M.J. Divine
booklet
1959
Box 1, Folder 11
The Letter Killeth, but the Spirit Giveth
Life
church program
undated
Box 1, Folder 12
Peoples Temple Agricultural Project
progress report
1977
Box 1, Folder 13
The Living Word: An Apostolic Monthly
1972-1973
Box 2, Folder 1
Peoples Forum
1976 April - 1978
January
