Cult following: 5 strange societies & cults with Pennsylvania ties

Learn about the unusual cults and religious groups that have roots in Pennsylvania.

Surely, we know a cult when we see it, like when a charismatic leader manipulates their followers — as in the cases of the Branch Davidians and the Peoples Temple. But there are also groups considered cults simply because their beliefs seem dogmatic, unusual, or outside the mainstream. We’ve included both types of groups in this list, strange societies and cult-cults, because both are interesting — but just keep in mind that we don’t mean to suggest that all of these groups are harmful. After all, many of you readers may belong to the most popular cults in the state: Steelers and Eagles fandom!

1. Wissahickon Park’s own doomsday cult – Philadelphia

Perhaps the first doomsday cult in the New World, “The Society of the Woman in the Wilderness” is tied to the woods of the Wissahickon Valley of Philadelphia. In the late 1600s, a peculiar Lutheran sect led by Johannes Kelpius settled in what is now Wissahickon Park. They weren’t entirely isolated: Kelpius started a free school for children, and he and his followers often assisted neighboring settlers with subjects like medicine and law. Otherwise, the group meditated in the woods at the end of the world, which they believed would occur in 1694. When it didn’t, the group slowly disbanded and assimilated into nearby towns. However, a cave believed to be tied to the group — and is perhaps the site where Kelpius himself meditated — can still be accessed in the park. You can visit the cave, known as Kelpius Cave or Hermit’s Cave, along the park’s Yellow Trail. 

Photo courtesy of Jukie Bot/CC BY-NC 2.0.

2. Fraternitas Rosae Crucis – Quakertown

Rosicrucianism began in Europe in the 1600s and has since spread and shifted into a number of offshoots that have added their own spin to this esoteric religious movement symbolized by a cross and rose. The movement encourages studying science alongside religious mysticism to gain secret knowledge. You might compare the Rosicrucians to the Freemasons, as both groups are more secret societies than religious cults. Ben Franklin and Thomas Paine were reportedly Rosicrucians.

The Fraternitas Rosae Crucis was the first group of Rosicrucians in the U.S., founded in Quakertown, Bucks County, and they still operate in the area as an “ancient spiritual fraternity.” In fact, you can see three Rosicrucian pyramids in Quakertown! They’re on the group’s private property, known as Beverly Hall, but you can still see the pyramids from the road.

Photo courtesy of Dennis/CC BY-NC 2.0.

3. Narrowgate – Mechanicsburg

Earlier this year, The Colorado Times Recorder published a longread on a short-lived Christian cult (and that would be a cult-cult) that started at Messiah College near Mechanicsburg. The piece describes how Andy Wertz, now a ministry executive based in Colorado, gathered followers at Messiah between 1994 and 1997 for what was known as the Narrowgate church. He then proceeded to use his power over the church members to severely control them both psychologically and financially. As the article details in heartbreaking clarity, those who left Narrowgate are still haunted by what happened.

4. The Harmony Society – Ambridge

The Harmony Society was not the creepy kind of cult you watch specials about on Netflix, but it definitely had some strange practices. Founded by George Rapp in the early 1800s, the society was an offshoot of Lutheranism that intended to establish a utopian community in the U.S. They set up the town of Harmony, near Pittsburgh, and promptly began growing wheat and distilling whiskey to earn income. They were quite successful, and earnings and property were shared. They didn’t bar couples from marriage, but celibacy was encouraged. They were also waiting for the end of the world.

But if you wanted to leave the communal group … you totally could! (Like we said, this wasn’t a scary cult.) The Harmonists eventually left Pennsylvania and founded New Harmony, Indiana, but then they came back to the Pittsburgh area to form the village of Economy. You can still visit the site of their Old Economy Village in Ambridge (originally Economy). At this historic site and museum, you can learn about Pa. history and the Harmony Society’s ideals of utopianism and community.

Photo courtesy of Lee Paxton/CC BY-SA 4.0.

5. World Mission Society Church of God – Pennsylvania branches

The World Mission Society Church of God is still active and is generally considered a capital-C Cult. You know, a cult-cult. The Christian offshoot group began in South Korea in 1964 and has spread around the world since then. The founder, the late Ahn Sahng-hong, was considered by members to be the second coming of Jesus Christ. Ex-members say that recruiters target people searching for meaning or community, especially if they have money. They also say members are subjected to forced isolation from their families and friends and that the church has predicted the end of the world numerous times.

There are branches of this church in Greater Pittsburgh, Greater Philadelphia, and Sciota in the Pocono Mountains.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.