CAVE OF KELPIUS
AMERICA'S FIRST DOOMSDAY CULT
In the late 1600s, Johannes Kelpius led a small religious sect of 40 celibate male monks from Transylvania. (Yes, folks, Transylvania is a real place -- it's in Romania.) The monks were learned in law, medicine, music, and astronomy. But they also shared a wacky belief. They believed the world was going to end in 1694.
Fearing persecution, the monks sailed to newly founded Philadelphia, already known for its religious tolerance. They named their cult the Society of the Woman in the Wilderness and acquired land in what is now Wissahickon Valley Park near Roxborough, but back then was indeed the edge of the American wilderness. They built a compound that featured a large log building surrounded by gardens for growing vegetables, herbs, and medicinal plants. In addition to living space for the monks, the building contained a tabernacle and an observatory for following the stars and planets in anticipation of the Second Coming.
Kelpius himself, however, lived as a hermit in a small cave he had dug nearby. He spent much of his time there praying, meditating, and (some say) getting high on the cult's medicinal plants.
You can guess the rest. 1694 came and went, the Messiah was a no-show, and Doomsday did not occur. Kelpius died a few years later, and his kookaboo cult disbanded. Most members moved east to Germantown and assimilated into the community.
Only the cave remains. If you happen to have a cheesesteak at Dalessandro's or Chubby's (or both) and feel like walking off the calories, you can find the Cave of Kelpius about a mile away on a path inside of Wissahickon Valley Park. Fittingly, it's near Hermit Lane and the Hermitage Mansion.
