Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
I've read these are called Witches Stairs, so called because witches supposedly are not able to climb them, and are sometimes found in very old New England homes. Is that true, or just more garbage being posted on the interwebs?
Added later 9 h 03 min 57 s:
Ha, debunked...
https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/witches-stairs-36992297
"Witches stairs" refers to a type of winding staircase with uneven steps of varying heights and depths. They originated in 16th and 17th century rural English architecture. There are a few reasons they were built this way:
Space saving - The irregular angles and shapes allowed them to fit into tight or irregularly-shaped spaces where a normal staircase wouldn't fit.
Materials saving - They required less wood and craftsmanship to construct than normal symmetrical stairs.
Deter witches - Folklore said that witches couldn't climb uneven stairs, so they helped deter witchcraft and evil spirits.
Confuse ghosts - Similar lore that ghosts could not traverse the uneven steps either.
Show wealth - Later on, only the wealthy could afford straight regular stairs. Crooked stairs became associated with lower classes.
While the witch and ghost rationales are questionable, the main practical reasons were maximizing tight space and using less materials. The unusual winding, uneven construction was a vernacular solution to fitting stairs where needed with limited resources. The witch myth emerged later.