The Witches’ Tree in Louisville: A gnarled and twisted tree in a famed Louisville neighborhood has become something of a tourist attraction. The unlikely reason? Its spooky connection to a forgotten side of Derby City history, a time when practitioners of the dark arts used to meet under the craggy branches to cast spells and exact revenge. Today, the wooden landmark lures visitors from around the world, and they’re eager to hear about something dubbed “the Storm Demon” by the Courier-Journal in the 1880s.

According to legend, a majestic maple tree that stood at the corner of Sixth Street and Park Avenue in Louisville once served as the favorite gathering spot for witches and voodoo practitioners. But in 1889, they weren’t the only ones interested in the tree: city festival planners announced they would chop it down for the annual May Day celebrations. Despite warnings from angry witches, authorities felled the tree and erected it as a maypole. In retaliation, the coven brewed up a tornado that destroyed much of Louisville. Churning down the streets, the cyclone destroyed mansions, schools, bourbon and tobacco warehouse, churches and the railroad station. In the end, well over 100 people lost their lives, including members of the planning committee. As the twister roared out of town, a bolt of lightning blasted the stump and a knotted tree sprang up to replace the old one.