Religion & Spirituality Collection

Over 1,000 photographs from the collection have been digitized. This link takes you to our digital library where you can view these images online.

The Peoples Temple Collection (1942-2015) documents portions of the history of Peoples Temple, before and after the mass-suicide and murders in 1978. The collection consists of litigation materials derived Freedom of Information Act requests, copies of original unclassified documents, publications, audiovisual materials, artifacts, and artwork and pays particular attention to the events that unfolded for survivors and relatives after the tragedy. Many items in the audiovisual series include sound files embedded directly in the descriptions. Users can listen to tapes retrieved by the FBI at Jonestown containing content of significance including Jones' sermons, the White Nights rehearsals, and the death tape; FCC recordings of Temple shortwave radio traffic; and recordings by psychologist Margaret Singer, renowned expert in the subject of mind control.

The Rebecca Moore Papers (1951-2013) consist of correspondence, drawings, school records, news clippings, research materials, research papers, publications, and audiovisual materials accumulated during the early and career years of Dr. Rebecca Moore, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Religious Studies at SDSU. Dr. Moore lost both of her sisters and a nephew in the tragedy at Jonestown and has spent much of her life, along with spouse Fielding McGehee, fostering the long-term preservation of diverse perspectives on Peoples Temple and Jonestown.

The Ann Elizabeth Moore Papers (1954-1978) consist of correspondence, schoolwork, photographs, artwork and memorabilia. The correspondence series includes letters from "Annie" to her parents after she emigrated to Guyana in 1976 as part of the Peoples Temple community in Jonestown.

The Fielding M. McGehee III Papers (1967-1999) consist primarily of correspondence between McGehee and his parents, Fielding McGehee, Jr. and Helen McGehee, and also include some correspondence to and from other family members. Many letters include discussion about draft resistance efforts as well as Peoples Temple and the agricultural settlement at Jonestown, Guyana. Some writings related to the draft are also included.

This collection of correspondence between Moore and various family members includes numerous mentions of Peoples Temple and Jonestown, where Barbara lost two of her daughters.

This website, maintained by Fielding McGehee and Rebecca Moore and hosted by the SDSU Library, provides an extensive variety of content, including digitized materials, essays and scholarship on a major event in the history of religion in America. Its primary purpose is to present information about Peoples Temple as accurately and objectively as possible.

The Family International Records document more than six decades of church and personal activity and include newspaper clippings, photos, audio and video recordings, personal papers, organizational documents, federal agency records, and related anti-cult and scholarly documents. During this time, The Family faced many controversies based on their sexual practices and accusations of abuse. The majority of this collection features “witnessing” activities through photographs, church publications such as brochures and A/V materials, as well as news, government, and academic coverage of their religious movement. This collection also contains some personal documents from the early life of founder, David Berg.

The James T. Richardson New Religious Movement Collection contains records of his scholarly research and activity to include newspaper clippings, photos, audio and video recordings, personal papers, organizational documents, federal agency records, and related anti-cult and scholarly papers spanning over the last fifty years, as well as primary source documents produced by various new religious movements.