Fair, Clear, and Terrible: The Story of Shiloh, Maine

by Shirley Nelson

This bizarre, true story of a dynamic religious leader and his perfectionist followers gives insight into countless extremist movements today. At the turn of the century, a young man named Frank Weston Sandford, proclaiming himself the fulfillment of certain Biblical prophecies, founded a movement called Shiloh, its central location on a hill in the town of Durham, Maine. The movement's purpose was sweeping and ultimate - to prepare the world for the Second Coming of Christ and the cataclysmic events which would usher it in. The enactment of this mission spanned twenty-five years, involving many hundreds of people. Sandford, an appealing and volatile leader, erected an extraordinary complex of buildings in Durham, opened stations in major American cities, then set sail on the high seas in a racing schooner with a select group of followers. Their intention was to circle the globe for Christ. Instead, they headed for doom. As the movement expanded, so did its aspirations - and its dangers. The concept of itself as an apocalyptic force in the world exacted relentless personal demands. Rigorous fasts and purges kept members in a constant state of anxiety regarding their spiritual condition. While Sandford diverted funds to expand the effort to an international scale - England, Africa, Jerusalem - food and necessities became scarce on the Durham hilltop. Professional medical care was repudiated. Deaths began to multiply. In the court trials that structure the story, Sandford was finally convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to prison. Shirley Nelson, whose parents grew up in this unusual society, tells Shiloh's powerful story with passion, understanding, and grace. She captures the inner dimensions of an intense religious culture and deals poignantly with themes that remain current and authority, heroism, martyrdom - and the frightening phenomenon of one personality in control of many others.

Genres: History, Religion, Cult Classics, Nonfiction, Theology, American History

446 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a 6 star book. It was everything I want in a non-fiction book, in every way. Detailed, well researched, based in fact not conjecture, and extremely well written. So well written, that if I had one small complaint it would be that I had to read some sections over and over to be sure that I had understood them, not because of poor writing but because of such intricate sentence structure that my college-level reading skills were a bit too rusty for easy comprehension. Never boring, though, not at all. The religious aspects weren't preachy, and the historical and personal context was just enough, in my opinion, to add to the overall message rather than distracting from it. I loved every minute of reading this book.

[Steve Oroszi]

Should be required reading by anyone thinking about entering the ministry - or for that matter, anyone seriously devoted to following Jesus as a faithful disciple. Exposes the dangers of uninformed enthusiasm taking the place of biblical discernment and listening to any voice that supplants the only voice we should be listening.

[Carol Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Fair Clear and Terrible by Shirley Nelson is the epic story of a little known cult headquartered in the community of Durham, Maine, beginning at the end of the 19th century and ending well into the 20th century.
Shirley Nelson’s own family were members of the membership known as the Holy Ghost and Us Society , headed by the charismatic, authoritarian, perfectionist, Frank Weston Sandford. This family connection makes this narrative a deeply personal and poignant exploration into the incredible and terrifying life of the membership known as Shiloh.
As the story unfolds, we watch wide-eyed as the evangelist Frank Sandford gains emotional and physical control of people searching for spiritual guidance and fellowship in a changing industrialized world. Wonder turns to horror as tyrannical intimidation, manipulation, coercion and a constant state of anxiety and fear influence members to willingly give up their homes, families, jobs, money and ultimately their own independence.
The beauty of this amazing story, told in exquisite detail by Shirley Nelson, is the intense and complex stories of the husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, and children that lived, loved, and grew up in this notorious environment.
Fair Clear and Terrible is a gripping and profound portrayal of humiliation, misery and privation. It is also the dynamic story of the reassertion of the inner soul of awakening members, leading to newly found strength, personal freedom, liberty, and often backlash.
I found this book to be gripping and inspiring. It is a difficult book to put down once you start reading it. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves American History, but who is also interested in taking a journey into the complex realm of the human psyche.

[Nate D]

In 1891, the brother of my grandmother's grandmother, Frank Sanford, acted upon the presumed voice of god and founded Shiloh, in rural Durham, Maine, twenty minutes from where I grew up. An offshoot of the popular Free Will Baptist Church of the era, Shiloh presaged 20th-century fundamentalist televangelists via a literal interpretation of the bible, and a structure like a pyramid scheme, concentrating the wealth of an increasing pool of followers to build a huge complex on a rocky, sand-swept hilltop. Shortage and privation, legal troubles, and internal divisions plagued the group through the early 1900s until an ill-supplied sea voyage on converted yacht to reclaim Greenland for Jesus lead to the deaths of six crew members and Sandford's incarceration. The commune was dismantled, but the original chapel, bizarre crown-tower intact, survives today. Sandford died in 1948, but fragments of his sect live on, scattered.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creeeeeepy.

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a detailed history of a little known chapter in American religious history: the ministry of Frank Weston Sandford and his creation and leadership of a communistic Christian commune, 'The Kingdom', in Durham, Maine, the physical hub of which he named 'Shiloh' (1891-1920).

A spinoff of the antinomian Freewill Baptist movement, Shiloh under Sandford's leadership, became the opposite, Sandford dictating their activities and designing their apocalyptic theology until a number of successful suits against him and his movement led to a period of incarceration and his eventual retirement.

Author Nelson is the child of two of the communards and had access to a wealth of material, much of it personal, from members. This gives the book much detail, but frustrated me as being almost too much, leaving the narrative, except for an occasional reflection, rather two-dimensional. There is not enough background, not enough about the details of the litigation, or even discussion of The Kingdom's incorporation.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never even heard about this obscure religious group before reading this book. You probably haven’t either. It’s worth a look.

The story gets off to a slow start in order to lay the background. But it definitely delivers in the second half.

I would suggest the Shiloh community, and the characters in this book, be portrayed in a movie or TV series, but the reality is just too far-fetched to even consider it.

I also really enjoyed the way the author injected herself and her family into the story. Made it so much easier to read. Kept it from being either too academic or too preachy.

[Hutch · Rating 3 out of 5]

The "cult" of Shiloh is probably unfamiliar to most people, but at one point, it was national news. A charismatic preacher, Frank W. Sandford, built a commune out of whole cloth, convincing hundreds of people to join him in the "Higher Life" in southern Maine. For thirty years, Sandford's band lived daily on prayer and self-policing, unable to touch members of the opposite sex (unless married), and gave all their earthly possessions to the upkeep of the colony.

Despite the ideals on which Sandford built this City on a Hill, life there was difficult. Because of the constant calls to prayer, gardens went neglected and yields were poor. In the beginning, the small size of the group of Shilohites meant there were ample supplies for all. But as buildings were erected and more converts arrived, food became scarce, and most of the colony lived in near-starvation conditions. For lack of money, many were cold in winter months, living in quarters without coal or firewood to provide heating.

But the faith of these people, studying and living by the words of the Bible was strong. They believed in their leader, the returned prophet Elijah, and felt that their sacrifices were not in vain. The Shiloh colony could be described as an early Evangelical movement, with emphasis on Bible study, personal responsibility, prayer, as well as preparing for Armageddon and relying on faith and prayer for healing. (Certainly in bad times, prayer proved to be little defense against outbreaks of diphtheria, smallpox, and influenza.) At one point, after word leaked beyond the closed community about a death of a diphtheria patient, Sandford was arrested and tried on manslaughter charges. Evidence was given that Sandford had declared the patient "guilty of sin" and therefore struck down by God with illness, and denied him "medical treatment," in the form of prayer. Sandford was found guilty, but the verdict was overturned on appeal.

The Shiloh movement at times encompassed outposts in Boston, Jaffa, Jerusalem, and London, and just after the turn of the 20th century, Sandford invested in two ships, one a racing yacht, to travel around the world, saving each nation through prayer. It was on the last trip in this yacht that the movement fell under great trouble. Another lawsuit arose, and Sandford refused to return the ship to land, to avoid being arrested by entering port where authorities could reach him. For nearly two years, he and his overloaded ship crisscrossed the Atlantic, at various times bound for Africa, and then Greenland, without much aim, and only receiving supplies when they met other ships in the water. The refusal to head into port left them without many supplies, and the passengers suffered greatly. At least 8 died and were buried at sea. At long last, after the ship was nearly destroyed in gales off the coast of Nova Scotia, Sandford allowed the ship to dock in Portland, ME, where he was promptly arrested. More manslaughter charges followed, regarding the deaths of his crew, the remainder of who were suffering from some of the worst cases of scurvy seen in modern times.

As Sandford spent 7 years in prison (in Atlanta, GA), Shiloh in Maine soldiered on, though wearily, waiting for the return of its prophet.

Eventually, after his release, Sandford tired of the burden of leading the colony, and left. On the heels of more lawsuits and investigations into neglect charges, the colony began bleeding members, until almost no one was left. Sandford, still convinced of his holiness, led an underground group until his death. Shiloh, with its fanciful buildings still survives in some form, but it is no longer the magnetic commune of its heyday.

This book is most interesting because the author is the child of two former Shiloh residents, who grew up under the watchful eye of Sandford, and were thoroughly entranced by the message of Shiloh. Having been residents from a very early age, leaving was a difficult prospect for them, but they left behind a legacy of stories and primary materials.

My only complaint with this book is that the author seems to be too gentle on Sandford. As leader, he and his family did not undergo starvation or inhumane living conditions at any point, while his followers were made to suffer greatly. He was nepotistic, narcissistic, and had few practical leadership abilities. Yet, Nelson barely touches on the cruelty that he inflicted on those who followed him.

[Deedee · Rating 2 out of 5]

took about half the book before it got moving. A history that reads mostly like a novel. Found it boring, until about page 180, then got more interesting. First half of the book feels like a lot of background and less of story. Didn't really like the last chapter with the authors thoughts. a long book about 430 pages but liked that it had pictures of the people in the book.