Witches of Wissahickon

This group was originally founded by Johannes Kelpius, who was a German Pietist who lived in the Philadelphia area. It was America's first Doomsday Cult and it fell apart when the Day of Doom passed peacefully. However, its ashes were rekindled by the rise of the Feminist Movement in the United States. This rise changed the original message from one of Doom to one of empowerment for women.

These new members of the Wissahickon movement became more involved in the mystical aspect of original movement. They have grown over the years, but have never really expanded beyond the suburbs of Philadelphia. They have been visited by various Wardens over they years and the Laws of Magic have been explained to them. Unfortunately the White Council sent only male wardens so their message was mostly ignored.

Johanna was a seamstress in Philadelphia until she read the writings of Susan B. Anthony in 1968. These writings turned her life around and allowed her to come to grips with her rising magical powers. Before these writings she feared her “witchcraft” would shame her husband's name and mark their family as evil. After that moment she embraced her abilities and left her family that night.

A few years later she founded the Witches of Wissahickon based upon the writings of Johannes Kelpius, whom she felt might have been her in a past life. Until her death in 1997 she continued to gather women to her cause; although never openly as she was afraid the world was not yet ready to see women as true equals.

As a side note she also proved to be a shrewd investor and left the coven with a large enough endowment as well as properties scattered across the city to give them sufficient income to pursue their craft without having a man to support them.