Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Ñaño house with mausoleum skull in foreground.
Ñaño Casa Museo
Honningsvåg Bamse Statue
Honningsvåg Bamse Statue
The salt cairn.
The Lewis and Clark Salt Works
South entrance.
Reigate Tunnel
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Wortley built the wooden backpack she used while retracing Alexandra David-Néel’s journey from a chair she found on the street in London.
How Elise Wortley Climbed Mont Blanc in 1830s Women’s Attire
8 days ago
Simplicity is key: Just a slice of bread with a sprinkling of salt and pepper is the perfect accompaniment.
The Sweet Second Life of Creole Cream Cheese
8 days ago
My rendition of frog legs, popping mushroom curry, pad prik khing with salted egg yolk, and sweet khanom thuai.
Recreating My Favorite Meal From Thailand
8 days ago
Inside London’s Gorgeously Curated ‘Art Restaurants’
8 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Vermont Craftsbury Witch Windows
AO Edited

Witch Windows

According to folklore, Vermont's slanted windows were installed to keep witches from flying into the house.

Craftsbury, Vermont

Added By
Ivana
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Witch window in Craftsbury, Vermont.   Larry Lamsa/cc by 2.0
Witch window in Craftsbury, Vermont.   Larry Lamsa/cc by 2.0
Witch window in a brick house near Waterbury Center, Vermont.   Piledhigheranddeeper/cc by-sa 4.0
Witch window installed with the nearby clapboards hung at a matching diagonal.   Piledhigheranddeeper/cc by-sa 3.0
Witch window in Craftsbury, Vermont.   Larry Lamsa/cc by 2.0
Crooked Window3. VT Rte 100 - Waterbury-Stowe.   annepius6 / Atlas Obscura User
Crooked Window2. VT Rte 100 - Waterbury-Stowe.   annepius6 / Atlas Obscura User
Crooked Window . VT Rte 100 - Waterbury-Stowe.   annepius6 / Atlas Obscura User
Crooked Window7. VT Rte 100 - Waterbury-Stowe.   annepius6 / Atlas Obscura User
  intrepidfox / Atlas Obscura User
Witch Windows   Anne Pius
Witch Windows   Anne Pius
Witch Windows   Anne Pius
Witch Windows   Anne Pius
Witch Windows   Anne Pius
Witch Windows   Anne Pius
Witch Windows   Anne Pius
Crooked Window6. VT Rte 100 - Waterbury-Stowe.   annepius6 / Atlas Obscura User
Crooked Window5. VT Rte 100 - Waterbury-Stowe.   annepius6 / Atlas Obscura User
Crooked Window4. VT Rte 100 - Waterbury-Stowe.   annepius6 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Traveling through the Vermont countryside, especially in the northern parts of the state, you might notice some old farmhouse windows oriented at an odd angle. According to folklore, these so-called "witch windows" were tilted 45 degrees so that witches couldn't fly through them into the house.

These 19th-century architectural anomalies, also known simply as "Vermont windows," or "lazy windows" have blurred origins. Another, even grimmer explanation is that the crooked windows were used for getting a coffin outside the house more easily, hence they are also nicknamed "coffin windows." That said, it's arguable that sliding a coffin through a second-story window is not exactly less demanding than simply carrying it through the narrow staircases often found in these old homes.

From today's perspective, it's clear that there's a much less mystical explanation for the curious slanted windows: frugality. The sloped windows were the most practical way of getting enough sunlight and fresh air inside the second-floor rooms. The windows are usually wedged under the eaves right between the main building and an added wing of the house.

During the 19th-century, northern Vermont was very rural and dominated by small farming communities with limited or nonexistent access to things like factory-made millwork. If you were building a new house, you trekked to a hardware store and ordered things like mouldings, factory-built mantels, and windows from a catalog. The selections were limited and the best you could hope for was to find a premade and glazed window with a width that allowed you to fit the odd sloping space, which was a much better solution than trying to build something on your own. Vermont farmers have always been recognized for their common sense and ingenuity. It's likely they also reused windows that didn't fit above the new gable, and were installed at a diagonal to take full advantage of the sliver of available wall space. 

Related Tags

Architectural Oddities Architecture Folklore Houses History Witches Homes

Know Before You Go

The witch windows can be found throughout Vermont, especially in the north. The map coordinates are for the town of Craftsbury, Vermont, where at least two examples of tilted windows can be found, pictured above.

There are at least six more examples of witch windows along the corridor of route 100 from Waterbury, VT to Morrisville, Vermont. There are also several witch windows in the North Country of New Hampshire, perhaps spillover from previous Vermont residents.

Community Contributors

Added By

Grubor

Edited By

Martin, rdows365, annepius6, wilkeskennedy...

  • Martin
  • rdows365
  • annepius6
  • wilkeskennedy
  • EricGrundhauser
  • Meg
  • intrepidfox

Published

August 6, 2018

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://people.howstuffworks.com/witch-windows.htm
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch_window
Witch Windows
Craftsbury, Vermont
United States
44.636718, -72.372607

Nearby Places

The Museum of Everyday Life

Glover, Vermont

miles away

Bread and Puppet Museum and Theater

Glover, Vermont

miles away

American Society of Dowsers

Danville, Vermont

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Vermont

Vermont

United States

Places 82
Stories 16

Nearby Places

The Museum of Everyday Life

Glover, Vermont

miles away

Bread and Puppet Museum and Theater

Glover, Vermont

miles away

American Society of Dowsers

Danville, Vermont

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Vermont

Vermont

United States

Places 82
Stories 16

Related Places

  • The Staple Street Skybridge in Tribeca.

    New York, New York

    Staple Street Skybridge

    Imagine having a street run right through your home, or better yet, a historic bridge three stories high.

  • Warwickshire, England

    Baddesley Clinton

    This medieval manor house was equipped with secret compartments for hiding priests.

  • The last known Carville house.

    San Francisco, California

    Last Known Carville House

    The sole surviving relic of the San Francisco neighborhood cobbled together from old horsecars and streetcars.

  • The Wonder House in 2014.

    Bartow, Florida

    Wonder House

    Given just one more year to live, Conrad Schuck built his dream house in Bartow, Florida.

  • Edison concrete houses along Polk Street in Gary, Indiana

    Montclair, New Jersey

    Thomas Edison's Concrete Houses

    Edison's cast-in-place concrete houses were a failure, but way ahead of their time.

  • Door knocker in Cartagena.

    Cartagena, Colombia

    Door Knockers of Cartagena

    The colonial city's social history is reflected in its fanciful door knockers.

  • Bird palace.

    Istanbul, Turkey

    Ottoman Bird Palaces

    The ornate miniature mansions were built for Istanbul's feathered residents.

  • The Hollensbury Spite House

    Alexandria, Virginia

    Hollensbury Spite House

    The narrowest house in America is seven feet of pure spite.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.