"The Rhoads to the Kingdom"
Martha and William Rhoads
Most locals respected the Martha and William Rhoads. William, a skilled carpenter, built a church and engaged in various civic activities. Martha was known by locals to be a deeply religious woman who had served as a Christian Science camp welfare worker in 1917 during the Great War.
But not everyone who knew the Rhoads liked them. Some even feared them. There were a few unsettling rumors about the couple.
One was that William and Martha had a son who died at nine years of age, and that the Rhoads had denied the boy a traditional Christian burial, opting instead to have him buried in their front yard in some odd, ritualistic fashion.
Another was that the couple would occasionally visit the grave of their son in the blackest hours of the night and conduct ceremonies intended to resurrect him. Some believed that the Rhoads were not alone; that they had started a cult in Klamath County.
In 1909, a Klamath physician wrote a Klamath Falls newspaper to protest against the activities of Martha, in particular, and her “followers.” He cited three instances in which he believed children had died because their parents had sought out Martha’s healing arts instead of those of a physician. The doctor said Martha claimed not only to heal humans, but animals, also, by application of “thought waves.” In actuality, Martha had publicly claimed to be able to do more than just heal the sick, whether human or animal.
She claimed she could raise the dead.
She had, by her own account, returned the dead to life on at least five occasions. As if this wasn’t enough sufficient evidence of her supernatural powers, Martha went a step further, claiming that that she had once raised herself back to life.
While Martha said she encountered May in 1922 when the high priestess was on her Portland recruitment tour, William Rhoads said he didn’t meet May until 1923, so his wife and May must have initially met at a location other than the Rhoads home, such as the Blackburns’ house. It would have been at one of these meetings that Martha introduced to May her adopted daughter, Willa. The girl would have then been about fourteen years of age.
William Rhoads would later say, “Mrs. Blackburn [May] showed exceptional interest in Willa, who was a beautiful child.” May was so taken by the Rhoads’ daughter that she elevated the girl to an honorary leadership position, dubbing her a priestess and queen of the Order. She would also give the girl the moniker, “Tree of Life,” making her the symbolic link between God and man.
It was one of the highest possible titles, and ultimately, one of the most tragic.
But not everyone who knew the Rhoads liked them. Some even feared them. There were a few unsettling rumors about the couple.
One was that William and Martha had a son who died at nine years of age, and that the Rhoads had denied the boy a traditional Christian burial, opting instead to have him buried in their front yard in some odd, ritualistic fashion.
Another was that the couple would occasionally visit the grave of their son in the blackest hours of the night and conduct ceremonies intended to resurrect him. Some believed that the Rhoads were not alone; that they had started a cult in Klamath County.
In 1909, a Klamath physician wrote a Klamath Falls newspaper to protest against the activities of Martha, in particular, and her “followers.” He cited three instances in which he believed children had died because their parents had sought out Martha’s healing arts instead of those of a physician. The doctor said Martha claimed not only to heal humans, but animals, also, by application of “thought waves.” In actuality, Martha had publicly claimed to be able to do more than just heal the sick, whether human or animal.
She claimed she could raise the dead.
She had, by her own account, returned the dead to life on at least five occasions. As if this wasn’t enough sufficient evidence of her supernatural powers, Martha went a step further, claiming that that she had once raised herself back to life.
While Martha said she encountered May in 1922 when the high priestess was on her Portland recruitment tour, William Rhoads said he didn’t meet May until 1923, so his wife and May must have initially met at a location other than the Rhoads home, such as the Blackburns’ house. It would have been at one of these meetings that Martha introduced to May her adopted daughter, Willa. The girl would have then been about fourteen years of age.
William Rhoads would later say, “Mrs. Blackburn [May] showed exceptional interest in Willa, who was a beautiful child.” May was so taken by the Rhoads’ daughter that she elevated the girl to an honorary leadership position, dubbing her a priestess and queen of the Order. She would also give the girl the moniker, “Tree of Life,” making her the symbolic link between God and man.
It was one of the highest possible titles, and ultimately, one of the most tragic.