The History of the Witchgate House: A Haunting Tale from the Past

The Witchgat House is a topic that is widely known in folklore and myths. It is said to be an ancient house that is inhabited by witches. The house is believed to have magical powers and is often associated with dark and mysterious occurrences. According to legends, the Witchgat House is located in a remote and secluded area, far away from human civilization. It is rumored to be hidden deep within a dense forest or on the edge of an eerie swamp. The exact location of the house is unknown, and many believe that it changes its position to avoid discovery.

When I arrived at The Witch’s House I was met with an eerie scene. I can’t say for certain that witches were involved but I have it on good authority that the eeriness of the area was caused by huge quantities of forest fire smoke in the air. This has become an annual event but 2021 was a particular hot and dry year and British Columbia was in flames. In fact so were forests in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and western Ontario, not to mention several American states. I like to see the blue sky in my photographs but that was not to be. During the day the sky appeared a hazy white and in the evening it took on shades of red and yellow as the sun started to set. I arrived just as the golden hour was beginning (generally the hour before sunset) and the appearance of The Which’s House did nothing to dispel that name.

I can t say for certain that witches were involved but I have it on good authority that the eeriness of the area was caused by huge quantities of forest fire smoke in the air. I can t say for certain that witches were involved but I have it on good authority that the eeriness of the area was caused by huge quantities of forest fire smoke in the air.

The exact location of the house is unknown, and many believe that it changes its position to avoid discovery. The house itself is described as ancient and dilapidated, with a haunting and eerie aura emanating from it. It is surrounded by overgrown vegetation and shrouded in an air of darkness and secrecy.

The Witch’s House

When you read the title of this blog post did you picture in your mind’s eye a witch standing next to a cauldron while stirring it? Was she wearing a conical black hat? What other images did your memory conjure? Well I hope I don’t disappoint you too much when I say that this post is not about witches. Let’s send the images of witches flying around on broomsticks back to the broom closet and move on.

This post is about an old farmstead house that has been called “The Witch’s House” for as long as I can remember. However that title is not based on local legend or folklore. It’s not based on some tragic event in the distant past that is now blamed on a witch’s spell. The name was given to the house because of how it looks. Quite simply, if there were to be a witch’s house out on the prairie, this house is how most of us would imagine it to look like. No other house that I have photographed or seen others photograph from the Canadian Prairie matches that mystical image of a witch’s house quite like this one. So let’s dig down into the chronicles of the local area and find out who really lived there.

First I’ll give you the general location. I try to keep the locations out of my blog posts in order to protect the owners of the property. In this case we are talking about a place in the deep southwest of Saskatchewan. It was settled primarily by people from Quebec, France and Belgium.

When I arrived at The Witch’s House I was met with an eerie scene. I can’t say for certain that witches were involved but I have it on good authority that the eeriness of the area was caused by huge quantities of forest fire smoke in the air. This has become an annual event but 2021 was a particular hot and dry year and British Columbia was in flames. In fact so were forests in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and western Ontario, not to mention several American states. I like to see the blue sky in my photographs but that was not to be. During the day the sky appeared a hazy white and in the evening it took on shades of red and yellow as the sun started to set. I arrived just as the golden hour was beginning (generally the hour before sunset) and the appearance of The Which’s House did nothing to dispel that name.

Some Local History

The first account of the house that I read describing the history of the owners was not even published. It’s from the personal memoirs of Therese Lefebvre Prince. She wrote her memoirs in 1989 and called it, “Listen! The Wind is Rising!“. It was my good fortune to be able to read the part of this document that discusses this house. Her account is brief so I’ll write it out in full.

This house was built on T. St. Hilaire’s homestead (legal land description removed). He never lived in it, said Delphis Gregoire. It was sold to Dave Pattyn in 1918. In the mid-1940’s the proprietores became Mr. and Mrs. Robert Desautels.

Therese Lefebvre Prince

It’s not uncommon to find that different sources of historical material describe the facts differently although usually these are just the details and not the substance of the history. I have seen this happen many times and that includes my research on the Witch’s House. I used two documents to dig into the past. I stopped in at the museum in the community of Shaunavon, Saskatchewan. It was there that I met Kathleen East, who volunteers at the museum and she was most helpful. At the museum I was also presented with subtle clues that they would like me to buy a copy of the local history book at the discounted price of $25.00. It seems that they ordered many more than they sold so I felt spellbound to make the purchase and I’m now a proud owner of one such book. I was also told by Kathleen East that the owners of The Witch’s House don’t really like to have it referred to by that name. Kathleen didn’t know why they found that name to be unacceptable or offensive and indeed the museum has a photo of this very house which shows the name as The Witch’s House. Perhaps the owners don’t like the possibility that some people might try to create a bit of local folklore and make the name mean more than just how the house looks. Possibly, given that they still own it, they don’t like the fact that The Witch’s House could be interpreted as referring to them. Maybe it’s just that the name invites more photographers than the house otherwise warrants. I didn’t learn the reason.

So getting back to the history of this house, the local history book, called, Quarter Stake Echoes, Area South of Shaunavon, allocated two sentences to the St Hilaires. It says, “Mr and Mrs St Hilaire homesteaded and then sold their homestead to Louis Audette around 1921. They moved closer to Dollard.” So already this account is different than the memoirs of Therese Lefebvre Prince. At least they both agree that St Hilaire either built the house or had it built for them. However the Quarter Stake Echoes book says it was sold to Louis Audette while the Therese Lefebvre Prince says it was sold to Dave Pattyn (and Mr Pattyn’s name is shown as the owner on the homestead map). In another section of the book there is a very thorough description of the Audette family who the book says bought the house from St Hilaire. They bought a farm from St Hilaire but the legal description is different than the house in question. It’s the same range “19” but the township differs by one and the section is completely different. Still, it’s close and the names match up so there is some basis to it. The book’s account of Louis Audette says that he bought the St Hilaire farm in 1920 and sold it in 1935 when the house burned down. That doesn’t sound like the Witch’s House as it is older than 1935 and there is no evidence of it having burned down. Louis Audette then bought the Villenueve farm.

I followed through each of the names mentioned in both of the references, Quarter Stake Echoes, Area South of Shaunavon, and the memoirs of Therese Lefebvre Prince. None of these lead me to anything that would enable me to track the full history of this old house. Perhaps the brief comment in the book, Quarter Stake Echoes, Area South of Shaunavon, sums it up best at the end of the section on Mining Valley which is the school district in which The Witch’s House is situated. It says, “A few Hannaville homesteaders or early settlers that we can find little about: David Pattyn sold to Victor Cumon and moved closer to Dollard, Saskatchewan“. So, even the group that put that local history book together had little information about David (Dave) Pattyn and yet he is the common thread between the two accounts. It looks like the trail has gone as cold as a witch’s smile.

Below is a chart to compare the two accounts

Images of the House

It has a slightly creepy look to it. Even the shrub to the left of the house seems to be shaped as a malevolent creature.

The smoke in the air made for a dark red sky much earlier than normal. That’s the sun rather than the moon.

Inside the house was a typical mess. No cauldrens or bats or any other things to suggest that a witch lives here. Indeed it could use a witch’s broomstick to help clean the place up. I didn’t walk around much as I was mostly interested in the outside.

The Source of the House

Many homes on the prairies began as catalogue houses. This allowed landowners to order plans and, depending on the company, receive the wood and fixtures so that all that was needed was to start hammering nails. This method is still available for garden sheds. Roxanne Avery follows my blogs and provided this information after she searched and found the plans that appear to be for this house. It’s called Design No. 105 from the 1910 version of The Radford Ideal Homes catalogue. published by the Radford Architectural Company of Chicago. The blue prints alone cost $5.00. This is probably as close as we can come to seeing what the house originally looked like. This must have been a particularly new plan because it had a bathroom upstairs. Many of the other house plans had no bathroom because of course that sort of thing required an outhouse.

So there you have it. This is just an old farmhouse with a nice turret to distinguish it from the other houses that once stood nearby. It was built close to the one room schoolhouse and the lady of the house even taught in the school. As for witches, I didn’t see any. Of course they probably didn’t want to be seen quite yet. There was no full moon and the weird smoky skies made the sun look so strange that even witches would be a little confused.

• Quarter Stake Echoes, (1981), South Shaunavon History Club
• Listen! The Wind Is Rising! (1989), Therese Lefebvre Prince, Personal Memoir
• Special thanks to the Grand Coteau Heritage & Cultural Centre in Shaunavon which includes the Shaunavon Library. Kathleen East is a volunteer at the Centre who provided the most helpful information. This excellent facility has much to offer. View their website at Grand Coteau Centre | Town of Shaunavon
• Radford Architectural Company. (1910). The Radford ideal homes: 100 house plans 100. 12th ed. Chicago, Ill.: The Radford Architectural Company.

Addendum: Which Witch is Which? Plural vs Possessive?

Typically this house is called “The Witches House” but that implies that there’s more than one witch, which is possible but most unlikely. The phrase is used to describe a house as being owned by a witch (because of how it looks, but we’ve already covered that) so the proper use of the possessive apostrophy is necessary. It is, and should be, called The Witch’s House and if upon further exploration it’s determined that there is indeed more than one witch in residence it will then be called The Witches’ House. Of course if you choose to acquiesce to the owners request that it not be called The Witch’s House you could just call it the old farmstead with the turret, but where’s the fun in that?

No witches were harmed in the photography, research or publication of this blog. The house was left exactly as I found it.

If you visit the structures shown in this blog, or any other old and potentially abandoned structure, please respect the landowners” rights and obtain their permission to access and photograph anything on their land. Always exercise caution when visiting abandoned buildings as there are potential dangers such as crumbling structures, deep wells hidden by grass, and even spores of mould in the air.

Frank Korvenmaker has a number of copies of the book Legacy of Worship for sale. They retail at $40 (plus tax) in bookstores, if available. He is selling them at $25 (no tax), plus shipping, usually in the $15-$20 range. For any person or group wanting to buy books in bulk, he is selling them for $10 per book on orders of 10 copies or more. Pick-up of bulk orders may be arranged between the the buyer and Frank in Regina for those who may be passing through. Email Frank Korvenmaker at [email protected] for details and to discuss shipping. I receive no commission or other remuneration for assisting Frank to sell this book.

First I’ll give you the general location. I try to keep the locations out of my blog posts in order to protect the owners of the property. In this case we are talking about a place in the deep southwest of Saskatchewan. It was settled primarily by people from Quebec, France and Belgium.

Its walls are said to be covered in strange symbols and sigils, serving as protection for the witches who reside within. The witches who live in the Witchgat House are believed to possess immense magical abilities and knowledge. They are said to practice dark and forbidden arts, delving into the realms of black magic, sorcery, and spellcasting. They are rumored to conduct mysterious rituals and ceremonies, calling upon supernatural forces and entities. Legends surrounding the Witchgat House often tell of unsuspecting travelers stumbling upon it and becoming trapped within its walls. Once inside, they are subjected to the whims and powers of the witches, becoming pawns in their magical games. Some stories even claim that those who enter the house never come out, forever trapped in a world of darkness and enchantment. Due to its reputation, the Witchgat House has become a popular subject in literature, folklore, and media. It has been featured in numerous novels, movies, and games, captivating audiences with its themes of magic, mystery, and danger. Whether the Witchgat House truly exists or is merely a creation of human imagination, the legends surrounding it continue to fascinate and enthrall. It remains a symbol of enchantment and the supernatural, leaving us to wonder about the mysteries that lie within its walls..

Reviews for "The Witchgate House: A Dark History of Witchcraft and Magic"

1. Emily - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with "The Witchgat House". The concept seemed intriguing, but the execution fell flat for me. The characters were one-dimensional and lacked depth, making it difficult to connect with them on any level. Additionally, the story felt disjointed, with several plot holes that were never addressed. Overall, I found it to be a lackluster read and would not recommend it to others.

2. Mark - 1 star - "The Witchgat House" was a complete letdown. The writing was unnecessarily flowery and convoluted, making it difficult to follow the storyline. The author seemed more interested in showcasing their vocabulary than creating a coherent and engaging plot. Moreover, the pacing was incredibly slow, and nothing of substance happened until the last few chapters. I struggled to stay interested in the story and was ultimately unsatisfied with the conclusion. I would not recommend this book to anyone.

3. Sarah - 2 stars - I had high hopes for "The Witchgat House", but unfortunately, it failed to live up to my expectations. The premise was intriguing, but the execution felt lackluster. The characters lacked development, and their motivations were unclear. The plot also meandered without a clear direction, leaving me feeling detached. Additionally, the dialogue felt stilted and unnatural, further hindering my ability to engage with the story. Overall, I found it to be a disappointing read and struggled to find any redeeming qualities.

4. Michael - 1 star - "The Witchgat House" was a confusing and poorly written novel. The narrative jumped back and forth between different timelines without proper transitions, leaving me feeling lost and uninterested in the story. The characters were forgettable and lacked any depth, making it impossible for me to form any emotional connection with them. The writing style was overly descriptive, bogging down the pacing and making the reading experience tedious. I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for a well-crafted and captivating story.

5. Jessica - 2 stars - I had such high hopes for "The Witchgat House", but it left me disappointed. The plot felt disjointed and lacked a clear direction, making it difficult to follow the story's progression. The characters were also quite flat and unremarkable, making it challenging to invest in their journey. Additionally, the pacing was incredibly slow, and the lack of significant events left me bored. Overall, I found "The Witchgat House" to be a mediocre read and would not recommend it to others.

The Witchgate House: Ghosts, Witches, and the Supernatural