Mount Carmel Center Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Mount Carmel Center
The Mount Carmel Center during the Waco siege, with an M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle bringing down the roof of the gymnasium
Alternative names	Branch Davidian compound
General information
Status	Turned into museum
Town or city	McLennan County, Texas
Country	United States of America
Coordinates	31°35′46″N 96°59′17″W / 31.596089°N 96.98804°W / 31.596089; -96.98804
Opening	c. 1958
Destroyed	April 19, 1993

The Mount Carmel Center was a large group of buildings. It was used by the Branch Davidians, a religious group. The center was located near Axtell, Texas, about 20 miles northeast of Waco. The Branch Davidians were a religious group that separated from the Davidian Seventh Adventists. Benjamin Roden started the group in 1959. Later, David Koresh became their leader in the 1980s.

The center was named after Mount Carmel, a mountain in Israel mentioned in the Bible. It became famous as the place of the 51-day Waco siege. This event started on February 28, 1993. Federal agents tried to serve a warrant and arrest some Davidians living there. A gunfight followed, and four agents and six Davidians died. The siege ended on April 19, 1993, when a fire broke out. Most of the buildings burned down, and 76 Branch Davidians died.

What Does "Mount Carmel" Mean?
History of the Mount Carmel Center
Images for kids
See also

What Does "Mount Carmel" Mean?

Some news reports called the place the "Branch Davidian compound." The name comes from a verse in the Bible. The Branch Davidians based their beliefs on this verse:

Notwithstanding the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings. Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.

—Micah 7:14

History of the Mount Carmel Center

Early Beginnings in Waco

In 1935, Victor Houteff, who founded the Davidian group, set up their first main office. It was called Mount Carmel Center and was located near Lake Waco, west of the city. After Houteff passed away, his wife Florence started selling parts of the land. This happened as the city of Waco grew closer to the Mount Carmel Community. By 1957, she had sold all the property. She then bought a new property of about 941 acres (3.8 km2) northeast of Waco. She named this new place New Mount Carmel. Today, a street in Waco called Mt. Carmel Drive runs through the old Mount Carmel area. Other nearby streets are named after important Davidian families.

Changes and Divisions

In 1962, Florence Houteff decided to close down the Davidian group. She planned to sell its properties and give the money to her Executive Council. However, many members did not agree with this plan. Most of the New Mount Carmel property was sold to the EE Ranch. But the Branch Davidians kept a central area of about 77 acres (310,000 m2) around their main building.

Buildings at Mount Carmel Center in May 1995. These buildings later burned down.

The changes at Mount Carmel caused the Davidian Seventh Day Adventist Movement to split even more. Some Davidian groups that formed after this time also named their headquarters Mount Carmel Center. They wanted to continue the old traditions. For example, Davidians in Salem, South Carolina, use the name. Another group that separated from them, in Mountaindale, New York, also uses it.

Some of the Mountaindale Davidians believed that Victor Houteff never wanted to leave the original Mount Carmel. So, in the early 1990s, they moved back to Waco. They settled in a building on Mt. Carmel Drive. This building was originally built by Houteff's Davidians. It is across the street from the Vanguard School, whose buildings were also built by the Davidians. Other Davidian groups believe that Mount Carmel represented a certain time in the Davidian Seventh Day Adventist Movement. They think that time has now passed.

Later Events and Memorials

In 1998, three buildings at the former Branch Davidian compound were destroyed in a fire. These buildings included the home of Amo Bishop Roden. She was the wife of a former Branch Davidian leader, George Roden. The other two buildings were museums she used to keep records of the group's history.

It is important to know that different religious groups have lived on or used this property. Not all of these groups or people shared the same beliefs. Efforts to remember the events of 1993 on the property have changed over the years.