Cult of the Holy Ghost

Cult of the Holy Ghost, a Victorian-era sect led by a Swiss immigrant named Anna Meister.Known to her followers as "Mirra Mitta," Meister arrived in Philadelphia around 1855 and established her headquarters in a rowhouse at 1128 S. 11th Street (near Washington Avenue).

The Leader and Her Doctrine

Meister did not just claim to communicate with the dead like many Spiritualists of the era; she convinced her followers that she was the literal manifestation of the Holy Spirit—the "Daughter of God". She preached a highly localized eschatology, teaching that the apocalypse would soon begin directly in Philadelphia.The group exhibited classic high-control mechanics, demanding absolute devotion and isolating its members within the 11th Street rowhouse, which was transformed into a fortified temple complete with altars and portraits of Mirra Mitta stationed next to Jesus Christ.

The 1905 Discovery

The group is most infamous for what happened decades *after* Meister's death. In 1905, neighbors complained of a horrific smell emanating from the property, which locals had dubbed the "House of Mystery".When the coroner and police forced their way inside, they found two emaciated, elderly followers—Caroline Lang (who styled herself a high priestess) and John Rapp. The pair had been guarding the heavily decomposed body of a third member, Julia Rudman, for three weeks. The surviving members insisted Rudman wasn't dead, but simply "sleeping," and that they were fasting and waiting for Mirra Mitta to return to Earth to resurrect her.The house had been maintained as a shrine for nearly twenty years after Meister's death, with empty beds kept meticulously prepared for the anticipated return of both Mirra Mitta and Jesus Christ.Today, the site of the former temple at 11th and Washington has been demolished and serves as a parking lot.