Ghosts, Architectural interest, too much money?
Why was Winchester Mystery House built?
Sarah Winchester’s 160-room architectural wonder rests in San Jose, California. The Winchester Mystery House was designed by Mrs. Winchester. As part of the Winchester rifle family, Sarah Winchester ended up with a $1,000 a day from her stock holdings in the company. After her child and husband died, Sarah experienced some mental problems and consulted a psychic, who told her that she needed to appease the spirits that had been killed by the Winchester weapons.
Sarah moved to San Jose and purchased an 8-room home on over 160 acres of land. She designed the rooms and built on to the home as she saw fit. While the popular theory holds that she did it to confuse the spirits that were haunting her, it is possible that she just wanted to express herself architecturally. Sarah also designed one of the many stained glass windows in the home, all of which were made by Tiffany’s.
For those not interested in the tour, there are the Victorian gardens, a rifle museum and the houses around the Mystery House are open as is the gift shop and its numerous old-time coin operated entertainment machines, like the Haunted Graveyard and the Fortune Teller Zelda.
Tours of the mansion visit 110 of the 160 rooms and include the stairs that go nowhere, original 1906 earthquake damage and several other oddities in the Victorian mansion. They cover over 1 mile in about an hour. Tour guides are friendly and knowledgeable. The Winchester Mystery House is worth a visit for anyone who loves guns, history or oddities.
Sarah moved to San Jose and purchased an 8-room home on over 160 acres of land. She designed the rooms and built on to the home as she saw fit. While the popular theory holds that she did it to confuse the spirits that were haunting her, it is possible that she just wanted to express herself architecturally. Sarah also designed one of the many stained glass windows in the home, all of which were made by Tiffany’s.
For those not interested in the tour, there are the Victorian gardens, a rifle museum and the houses around the Mystery House are open as is the gift shop and its numerous old-time coin operated entertainment machines, like the Haunted Graveyard and the Fortune Teller Zelda.
Tours of the mansion visit 110 of the 160 rooms and include the stairs that go nowhere, original 1906 earthquake damage and several other oddities in the Victorian mansion. They cover over 1 mile in about an hour. Tour guides are friendly and knowledgeable. The Winchester Mystery House is worth a visit for anyone who loves guns, history or oddities.