2024 Annual Reunion
The 2023 Reunion was a great success with 53 attending!
To see Doug Moyer’s program go to Speakers tab under Annual Reunion.
Next year’s reunion will be held on June 9, 2024!
Featured Speaker
Walt Johnson
Walt is a retired teacher and historian with the Skippack Historical Society.
This Year’s Topic:
“Dielman Kolb and the Kolb Leadership in the Early Years of Bebber’s Township
And the Mennonite Congregation at the Skippack Meeting House”
When our Kolb ancestors first came to Pennsylvania in 1707, they first settled in Germantown, a small community about 6 miles north of the rapidly growing town of Philadelphia. Germantown itself was becoming a prosperous town in its own right, but the Kolbs and others soon left for an area 20 miles to the northwest known as Bebber’s Township, later to be known as Skippack. The Kolbs quickly became leaders in early Skippack and the Mennonite congregation there. Their younger brother, Dielman Kolb arrived in 1717, taking up residence not far away in Lower Salford, where he made his own contributions to the area and the Mennonite Church.
This year’s reunion speaker, Walt Johnson, will talk about the founding of Skippack and the Kolb’s influence during its founding and following years.
Walt grew-up in Creamery, Skippack Township, graduating from the Collegeville-Trappe High School. He then received a B.S. degree from Ursinus College and later attended Ohio State University where he earned a Master’s Degree in Mathematics. He taught for 25 years at the Indian Valley Junior High School and then 13 years at the Souderton Area High School. He also was an associate professor at Ursinus College in the Education Department for 5 years. Walt is a 5thgeneration teacher in Skippack Township, following grandfathers Henry G. Johnson, Henry H., Henry M., and his father Ralph W. Johnson as continuous teachers beginning in 1826! His son teaches at Indian Valley Middle School, making the streak the 6th generations!!!!
After retiring from being a math teacher, he became interested in the local history of the area. He is currently involved in the Skippack Historical Society, serving as a historian. He is also director and chairman of “Washington’s Encampment”, a living history event held in the village of Skippack held each September. He also gives tours of the historic IndenHofen House and Barn Museums, and enjoys presenting programs of our local history to scout groups, senior citizen communities and civic groups.
Walt is also a descendent of Jacob Kolb!
