In 1830s Vermont, homes had angled second-story windows called “witch windows” to keep witches out. They may have also been used for removing coffins. They are most common in central and northern Vermont and have other names like Vermont windows or lazy windows. Some say they were originally designed as vents.
Some 140 years after a wave of homicidal hysteria swept through colonial Massachusetts, culminating in the 1692 Salem witch trials, witches were still a concern in neighboring Vermont. That’s why you’ll find many 1830s Vermont homes with odd-looking second-story windows, installed at a 45-degree angle to match the roofline. According to superstition, witches can’t fly through a corner window — their broomsticks won’t fit — so some Vermont homeowners have added a so-called “witch window” as an extra precaution to keep them out. Also known as “coffin windows” in Vermont folklore, these out-of-the-ordinary windows may also have been added so that 19th-century gravediggers could more easily remove coffins, rather than navigate the narrow, winding staircases of the day.
Which window is witch?
Witch windows are most common in the central and northern parts of Vermont.
Depending on who you ask, these quirky windows are also called Vermont windows, side windows, or lazy windows.
Some say these windows were originally designed to function as vents, giving the hot rising air a place to escape during the summer. But the average summer temperature in Vermont is just 67.8 degrees Fahrenheit (19.9 degrees Celsius), so maybe not.
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