Yes there actually was a real Practicing Witch Doctor. who lived just off Pa 857 as you cross the bridge on Chess Rd. it was first house on right. in Haydentown near Smithfeild Pa.it appears the property was taken when Toll 43 was put thru the area n Fayette County .
No not the African Witch Doctor stereotype you see in the movies.
He was of Native American decent and his name was Dr Twigg He had a Pavilion up behind his home where he had several ceremonial pits and practiced his Herbal Medicine
Which is where he got the Witch Doctor reputation from.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch_doctor
Not much is known about him as he kept to himself or who the lady's in the picture are.
But if you had an ailment in days days before close by medical care was available or even affordable people often sought out these Herbal Practitioners Known as Granny Witches , Witch Doctors , Herbalists etc. which today they are known known as a Naturapathic Doctor.
https://naturopathic.org/page/WhatisaNaturopathicDoctor
These Old Country Doctors. where highly revered back in the day , when modern medicine did not have answers and there are many still practicing today in Western Pa. including
Dr. Martin Gallagher being one of them who is heard on local radio station WEDO 810 AM
and Dr. Lilian Ronzio of The Natural Way who can be heard on WMBS 590 AM
While there are those who scoff at all natural and Herbal Practices they can be very complimentary to modern medicine.
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