Advertisement 'Witch House' being moved to Sheboygan Share Shares Copy Link Copy

The famous Witch House, sitting on the banks of Lake Michigan in Fox Point is a favorite childhood memory for some."My dad always took me out here when I was little and showed me the house, and it was always a little bit of a creepy place that I loved coming and seeing when I was little," said Rebekah Sprenger of Milwaukee.VIDEO: Fox Point home known as the 'Witch House' moving to new locationThere are several urban legends about the Witch House, including a story that claimed Nohl's husband and son drowned in Lake Michigan just offshore from her home, causing Mary to go insane and create sculptures to 'keep watch' for her men.However many of the legends, including the one above, are not true. Nohl never maried and never had any children.She attended the Art Institute of Chicago and became an art teacher. After her parents died in the 1960s, Nohl began transforming the family home into a living work of art.Nohl died in 2001 at the age of 87, leaving the home and the artwork to the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan.The house is listed on the Wisconsin Registry of Historic Places as well as the National Register of Historic Places. Sprenger took friend Sonja Kinser to see the sculptures before the house is dismantled and moved."It's pretty neat, definitely looks like a witch's house," Kinser said.Thousands have come to get a closer look at what some call eclectic and others describe as gaudy. But neighbors have struggled with the numbers of visitors and the traffic."I can see how that's not too appealing to the residents," said Ryan Harrington of Fox Point.That's why the Sheboygan-based John Michael Kohler Art Center decided it was time to move the house to their grounds in Sheboygan.A few neighbors WISN 12 News spoke with said it would be a shame to lose the house because much of the art Nohl created was collected right from the beaches of Lake MichiganAs news spreads and visitors go to get one last look, security guards have been posted at the house to manage the traffic and ensure the safety of the house and surrounding art.Images: Fox Point's 'Witch House'"I wish it would stay in Milwaukee and not go to Sheboygan," Springer said.The Kohler Arts Center has owned the property since Nohl's death.It said it was forced to make the decision after several neighbors and village officials wouldn't support zoning changes to accommodate visitors to the house.The moving process should start in the summer.