I heard about this house some years back, but it wasn’t until I came across a blog post recently that I decided to do a little research. The creepy, labyrinthine mansion, the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California, screams HAUNTED, so of course I plan on visiting it some day. The mansion has 160 or so rooms, 13 bathrooms, doors that lead to nowhere, staircases that bring you to dead-ends, bookcases and closets opening into nothing but wall. The number 13 features prominently in the house. 13 windows per room, 13 panes per window, 13 lights on the chandelier, 13 bathrooms, among many others. According to Wikipedia, many of the serving staff required a map to navigate the sprawling house. It looks like a fairytale castle with all the rooftops and turrets.
Who was behind this house of wonder? A lady named Sarah Winchester. She was the heir to the Winchester Rifle fortune, who suffered terrible personal tragedy. Her daughter died in infancy and her husband passed away years later. She went on to buy an eight room farmhouse back in 1886 on a huge plot of land, 161 acres. Sarah started building, and she never stopped until her death, 38 years later. Construction was carried out 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
What was her reasoning? A medium told Sarah she was haunted by the spirits of the Indians and others who had died from a Winchester rifle. Her misfortune was down to them. Unless she kept building and kept the house unfinished, the evil spirits would come for her. A statue of Chief Little Fawn, a Native American leader who died defending his land, stands in Sarah’s garden, perhaps one of her ways of appeasing the restless spirits. Sarah held séances where she convened with good spirits. The blue Séance Room had just one entrance but three exits – one of which opened above the kitchen below. The Séance Room held 13 coat hooks – for the ghosts Sarah communicated, some have suggested. She slept in a different bedroom each night to keep the evil spirits from finding her. Some people believe she created the twisty maze of a house with stairs leading to ceilings, doors opening into air, corridors going nowhere to confuse the spirits.
Though many would write Sarah off as a nutcase, she had a shrewd, practical side. Her estate was almost self-sufficient. She had orchards – the food was sold at market, a carpenter’s workshop, indoor plumbing, electricity (at a time when most houses didn’t) that she produced herself, a water tower and much more. She was enterprising, industrious and intelligent, an independent lady by all accounts.
If you’d like to take a virtual tower of the house, there are many videos on YouTube. One I liked in particular was The Winchester Mystery House Story.
Just remember, if you plan on visiting the Winchester House, don’t stray too far from your tour group. You may never find your way out! I’m wondering if Sam and Dean from Supernatural are descendants of Sarah’s. 🙂 What do you think of this house?