Bottom Line: I Can’t Find One of These in The Hudson Valley
It was around this time last year that I heard about this thing called a Witch Window. It is simply an oddly aligned window on a house, usually on the second floor, tucked between two roof lines.
I had heard that they are mostly in Vermont. I thought that couldn't be right, we must have one or two in the Hudson Valley. So I set out to find one. Fast forward from October 2022 to October 2023 and I am still on the hunt!
Are Houses in New York Built with Witch Windows?
It would appear that there are no Witch Windows in New York. I find that so odd, especially when you hear how they came about in the first place. Allow me to back up for a moment.
A witch window is a window that is placed on a diagonal. Apparently, it is actually on a 45-degree angle. They are found all over Vermont and rarely anywhere else in the United States. They got their name because it was believed that Witches couldn't fly through them because they were placed at an angle.
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It is a little bit of a chicken and an egg thing. Were the houses built with slanted windows to keep witches out or reportedly to keep some witches in? Or were they added after the fact when it was believed witches were in the area?
Turns out neither is true. After some investigation, I discovered that Witch Windows are usually much newer than the house in which they were built. It is more likely that an addition was built onto an old house. The new piece of the house most likely blocked and existing window so as not to lose air and light they just moved the window. It is on an angle because they need it to fit into the space under the roof line.
What is a Witch Window
BE AMAZED has a great video where they share some of the little-known facts about Witch Windows. You'll find Witch Windows at the 26-minute mark in the video. The 25 minutes leading up to it are pretty amazing too.
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Kirento has a few more tidbits you might want to hear.
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Gallery Credit: Paty Quyn