The legends about this foreboding rock on a hill in Williams Township, PA go back to to early German settlers. The name means “witch’s head” in Pennsylvania Dutch/German, and it comes both from the shape of the structure and from the stories surrounding it.
Hexenkopf gained fame for its use in healing rituals by local Lenni-Lenape Native Americans. These rituals were somewhat adopted by superstitious early German settlers. Johann Peter Seiler, the first New World powwow doctor, settled in Raubsville in 1743. He was known to gather medicinal herbs from the area around Hexenkopf. His powwow practice was later adopted by his son, Peter Saylor, who practiced powwowing at the rock. Powwowing involves incantations and homeopathic remedies to cure the sick. It uses the concept of transference, meaning the “evil” that causes sickness in a person would be transferred to another object. This could be a tree, a rock, and many times even a corpse. Saylor, in his practices, would transfer the sickness to Hexenkopf in a manner that resembled the original Lenni-Lenape rituals. This is not a legend; powwowing is a traditional PA Dutch practice that continued until 1955. Modern interpretations of the practice continue to this day. Read more about powwowing here.
The legend of the rock, however, comes from the great amount of evil believed to be stored in the rock. Lenni-Lenape, Saylor, and other powwowers all used Hexenkopf in their rituals. Legends began to arise of witches using the rock to cast hexes and curses, as well as use it for festivals on the Sabbats. Hexenkopf was said to be most active on April 30, Walpurgisnacht, when witches welcome Spring and initiate new members into the craft. Local residents reported seeing frequent bonfires and witch dances happening on the rock. Legend said wives would sneak out at night, leaving a broom in their bed to trick their husbands, and come to the rock to cast curses. These legends continued until at least the 1940s, when a local woman reported finding her horses in a great sweat most mornings, meaning witches had been riding them the previous night. To try and find the truth, she rode one of her horse one night, and came back insane. In fact, there are many reported cases of mental instability arising from residents of the Hexenkopf area. Historical research did find many cases of inbreeding in the area.
Hexenkopf does have a history of tragedy and misfortune, which local residents once blamed on the witches. At least nine of the property’s owners died unexpectedly without a will. Many people, mostly young women, have committed suicide on the rock over the years. One Hexenkopf legends states that any structure in the shadow of the rock will catch fire. This has mostly rang true. The property is subject to semi-frequent fires, even recently, and many buildings there have been struck by lightening. Telephone poles cannot be built on the property; they always fall down. It is said guns will jam around Hexenkopf, so hunting is impossible. Crop failures were once frequent in the area, and the occasional crop circle still appears on nearby farmland to this day.
At least one witch can be attributed to Hexenkopf. Although historical record is shaky, it’s known for sure there was a witch trial in Williams Township in the 1860s. A woman was charged with using Hexenkopf to curse a local farmer’s horse to make him sick. She was found guilty, and sentenced to stand in the pillory of Center Square for six hours a day, four times every year.
Another Hexenkopf legend comes in the story of Farmer Brown. Supposedly, he was chasing a demon on Hexenkopf and fell to his death. He had a peg leg, and it’s said on some nights you can still hear it tapping. Reportedly, his apparition has been seen on Hexenkopf, caught in an eternal chase with a demonic force. Other apparitions that are seen on Hexenkopf are a headless man and a headless dog, and a man in horse in buggy who fell to his doom on Hexenkopf after abusing his family for years. One Winter in the late 1700s, a white fox spirit was seen frequently on the mountain. During this time, hunters could kill no game, and the people suffered. Nothing could kill the fox, either.
Hexenkopf also has many reports of buggies, and later cars, driving up the hill and never coming down. This may be true, as the area about 100 feet from the entrance to Hexenkopf does have an unusually high accident rate. Other activity on Hexenkopf includes glowing balls of fire, a woman’s scream, and the apparitions of witches who were hanged. There is also the report of a eerie noise emanating from Hexenkopf, as well as general sound distortion. Local geologists have attributed this to the acoustics of the caves in the region, which reverberate and make it seem like the sound above you is happening below. It is a fact, however, that these same caves were used to burn and bury the dead of local Native Americans at one point.
Finally, Hexenkopf’s most famous legend is it’s glow. It used to glow brightly in America’s early days, and still emits a soft glow on moonlit nights to this day. Early settlers attributed this to the rocks great evil and constant use by witches. However, the rock actually has a great amount of mica and phosphorescent lichens, which glow as they reflect moonlight. These deposits have worn down over the years, but the rock still sometimes glows. Whether it be witches, demons, or the ghost of a peg-legged farmer haunting Hexenkopf Hill, there is certainly something sinister that has caused the area centuries of grief. However, Hexenkopf can be very peaceful during the day. Many kinds of wildflowers and medicinal herbs and plants grow on and around the rock, and the area’s white birch is used to make birch beer.
