Wissahickon in Philadelphia in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Hermits of the Wissahickon / The Hermitage
Wissahickon Valley Park
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 2, 2022
1. Hermits of the Wissahickon side of the marker
Inscription.
Hermits of the Wissahickon, also, The Hermitage. Wissahickon Valley Park.
Hermits of the Wissahickon 1694. In 1694 a small group of men left Germany in search of religious freedom. Known as Pietists, they pursued interests in prayer, medicinal herbs, astrology, mathematics, alchemy, philosophy, and music., Johannes Kelpius, described as a mystic philosopher, led the Pietists. They settled in this area and became known as the "Hermits of the Wissahickon." On this property they reportedly worshiped in a Tabernacle, erected log cabins and meditated in the nearby cave. The group dissolved when Kelpius died in 1708 and members joined other religious organizations such as the Mennonites, Dunkers and Seventh-Day Baptists., The Richter or Righter family acquired the property in parcels amounting to 151 acres. They operated a ferry and a shad fishery on the banks of the Schuylkill River. Local place names such as Righter Street, Righters Ferry Road and Righters Mill Road mark lands once held by Peter Righter and his descendants.,
"Painful Kelpius from his hermit den By Wissahickon, maddest of men, Deep in the woods, where the small river slid Snakelike in shade, the Helmstadt mystic hid." John Greenleaf Whittier, influential Quaker poet
[Captions:] The nearby "Kelpius" cave entrance as it appeared in 1957. According to tradition, the hermits used this cave to meditate. The piers on either side of the entrance were added in the 19th century., This is the only known portrait of Johannes Kelpius by his friend and contemporary, Dr. Christopher Witt. This 1705 painted canvas is attached to a wood board. It is believed to be one of the first portraits in Pennsylvania., Music played a central role in the lives of the monks. They brought musical instruments with them from Germany. Kelpius himself composed music, including I Love My Jesus Quite Alone., Kelpius' journal and a rare hymnbook have survived and are part of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania collections. ,
The Hermitage 1848. In 1848 the Righter family sold 16 acres here, including the site of the Tabernacle, cave and one "hermit" cabin, to Evan Prowattain, son of a Russian Count. Prowattain had become wealthy importing pig bristle from Russia to manufacture fine ladies hairbrushes. He built a country house here which he called "The Hermitage." Hermitage is a word for a secluded retreat. Evan's wife Josephine told family members that the house was named in honor of the Hermits of the Wissahickon and the renowned State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. St. Petersburg was the ancestral home of the Prowattain family., The house passed to Evan's son Ivan who sold it to the City in 1895 for one dollar with the understanding that the City would pay off the outstanding mortgage. The house served mainly as a private residence for Fairmount Park Commission employees until the 1970s. From 1980 to 2010 the Hermitage served as home to the Delaware Valley Opera Company, which staged performances in the clearing at the rear of the building., Beginning in 2012 Philadelphia Parks and Recreation began a phased exterior restoration campaign to restore the building, including rebuilding the front porch, funded in part, by the last remaining descendant who carried the Prowattain name, Jean Goff Prowattain Frantz and her five sons., [Captions:] Hermitage builder and businessman, Evan Prowattain (1808-1866) spent summers here with his wife, Elizabeth Ernst and their six children, Charles, Ida, Walter, Ivan, Ernst and Clara., Clara Prowattain, daughter of Evan and Elizabeth, declared her love for one of her many suitors by etching "Je vous aime" (I love you) in a 2nd floor Hermitage windowpane at age 19., This 1895 map shows the property held by Ivan Prowattain before it was purchased by the Fairmount Park Commission in 1896. Ivan's father Evan sold the piece of land along the Wissahickon Creek to the Commission in 1869., Evan Prowattain, with his son Ivan, Ivan's wife Josephine and nanny with baby daughter Alice near the front door around 1883. Ivan was the second generation of Prowattain owners. The original decorative iron details on the porch were replaced with wood around the turn of the 20th century., This exterior photograph depicts the house in 1938 when it was occupied by Major Thomas M. Martin, the Fairmount Park Commission Secretary.
Hermits of the Wissahickon 1694
In 1694 a small group of men left Germany in search of religious freedom. Known as Pietists, they pursued interests in prayer, medicinal herbs, astrology, mathematics, alchemy, philosophy, and music.
Johannes Kelpius, described as a mystic philosopher, led the Pietists. They settled in this area and became known as the "Hermits of the Wissahickon." On this property they reportedly worshiped in a Tabernacle, erected log cabins and meditated in the nearby cave. The group dissolved when Kelpius died in 1708 and members joined other religious organizations such as the Mennonites, Dunkers and Seventh-Day Baptists.
The Richter or Righter family acquired the property in parcels amounting to 151 acres. They operated a ferry and a shad fishery on the banks of the Schuylkill River. Local place names such as Righter Street, Righters Ferry Road and Righters Mill Road mark lands once held by Peter Righter and his descendants.
"Painful Kelpius from his hermit den
By Wissahickon, maddest of men,
Deep in the woods, where the small river slid
Snakelike in shade, the Helmstadt mystic hid."
John Greenleaf Whittier, influential Quaker poet
[Captions:]
The nearby "Kelpius"
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cave entrance as it appeared in 1957. According to tradition, the hermits used this cave to meditate. The piers on either side of the entrance were added in the 19th century.
This is the only known portrait of Johannes Kelpius by his friend and contemporary, Dr. Christopher Witt. This 1705 painted canvas is attached to a wood board. It is believed to be one of the first portraits in Pennsylvania.
Music played a central role in the lives of the monks. They brought musical instruments with them from Germany. Kelpius himself composed music, including I Love My Jesus Quite Alone.
Kelpius' journal and a rare hymnbook have survived and are part of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania collections.
The Hermitage
1848
In 1848 the Righter family sold 16 acres here, including the site of the Tabernacle, cave and one "hermit" cabin, to Evan Prowattain, son of a Russian Count. Prowattain had become wealthy importing pig bristle from Russia to manufacture fine ladies hairbrushes. He built a country house here which he called "The Hermitage." Hermitage is a word for a secluded retreat. Evan's wife Josephine told family members that the house was named in honor of the Hermits of the Wissahickon and the renowned State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. St. Petersburg was the ancestral home
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 2, 2022
2. The Hermitage side of the marker
of the Prowattain family.
The house passed to Evan's son Ivan who sold it to the City in 1895 for one dollar with the understanding that the City would pay off the outstanding mortgage. The house served mainly as a private residence for Fairmount Park Commission employees until the 1970s. From 1980 to 2010 the Hermitage served as home to the Delaware Valley Opera Company, which staged performances in the clearing at the rear of the building.
Beginning in 2012 Philadelphia Parks & Recreation began a phased exterior restoration campaign to restore the building, including rebuilding the front porch, funded in part, by the last remaining descendant who carried the Prowattain name, Jean Goff Prowattain Frantz and her five sons.
[Captions:]
Hermitage builder and businessman, Evan Prowattain (1808-1866) spent summers here with his wife, Elizabeth Ernst and their six children, Charles, Ida, Walter, Ivan, Ernst and Clara.
Clara Prowattain, daughter of Evan and Elizabeth, declared her love for one of her many suitors by etching "Je vous aime" (I love you) in a 2nd floor Hermitage windowpane at age 19.
This 1895 map shows the property held by Ivan Prowattain before it was purchased by the Fairmount Park Commission in 1896. Ivan's father Evan sold the piece of land along the Wissahickon Creek to the Commission
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 2, 2022
3. The Hermitage side of the marker
in 1869.
Evan Prowattain, with his son Ivan, Ivan's wife Josephine and nanny with baby daughter Alice near the front door around 1883. Ivan was the second generation of Prowattain owners. The original decorative iron details on the porch were replaced with wood around the turn of the 20th century.
This exterior photograph depicts the house in 1938 when it was occupied by Major Thomas M. Martin, the Fairmount Park Commission Secretary.
Location. 40° 1.486′ N, 75° 12.006′ W. Marker is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia County. It is in Wissahickon. Marker can be reached from Hermit Lane, 0.1 miles west of Henry Avenue (County Road 4001), on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 700 Hermit Ln, Philadelphia PA 19128, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 18, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 6, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 573 times since then and 119 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on April 6, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
