Architectural wonder? Historic Landmark?
One of the “most haunted places in the world”?
One of the “most haunted places in the world”?
The Winchester Mystery House is a mansion in San Jose, California, that was once the personal residence of Sarah Winchester, the widow of firearms magnate William Wirt Winchester. The house became a tourist attraction nine months after Winchester's death in 1922. The Victorian and Gothic style mansion is renowned for its size and its architectural curiosities.
But it’s the ‘haunted’ aspect of the house that fascinates, yet there is virtually no evidence to support this belief. Much of the lore regarding the Winchester House and its owner is said to be fanciful, unverified, and often provably false.
But it’s the ‘haunted’ aspect of the house that fascinates, yet there is virtually no evidence to support this belief. Much of the lore regarding the Winchester House and its owner is said to be fanciful, unverified, and often provably false.
Sarah Winchester, 1865.
Our story begins when Sarah Winchester (always called Sallie), married Winchester in 1862. Tragedy seemed to befall from the beginning – between 1880 and 1881, Sarah lost her mother, her father-in-law, eldest sister, baby girl and her husband.
Perhaps the huge inheritance from her husband was the saving grace. Sometime in 1884, Sarah began developing rheumatoid arthritis and her doctor suggested that a warmer and drier climate might help improve her health. In 1885, at the age of 46, she moved to California. According to Mary Jo Ignoffo in her book Captive of the Labyrinth: Sarah L. Winchester, Heiress to the Rifle Fortune, her doctor's recommendation, her happy memories of traveling to San Francisco with her husband in the 1870s, and advertising about the weather and health benefits of California were possible factors in Winchester's decision to move.
In support, Winchester invited her three remaining sisters to follow her to California, which they did.
In 1886 Edward "Ned" Rambo, a San Francisco agent for the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, took Sarah on a tour of the Santa Clara valley to look for a home. He showed her a forty-five-acre ranch for sale that was located near San Jose. She purchased the property from John Hamm which included a two-story, eight-room farmhouse. Since the property reminded her of Llanada Alavesa from the Basque area, she named her new home Llanada Villa and embarked on what has been described as the world’s longest home renovation, stopping only when she passed on September 5, 1922, at the age of 83.
Perhaps the huge inheritance from her husband was the saving grace. Sometime in 1884, Sarah began developing rheumatoid arthritis and her doctor suggested that a warmer and drier climate might help improve her health. In 1885, at the age of 46, she moved to California. According to Mary Jo Ignoffo in her book Captive of the Labyrinth: Sarah L. Winchester, Heiress to the Rifle Fortune, her doctor's recommendation, her happy memories of traveling to San Francisco with her husband in the 1870s, and advertising about the weather and health benefits of California were possible factors in Winchester's decision to move.
In support, Winchester invited her three remaining sisters to follow her to California, which they did.
In 1886 Edward "Ned" Rambo, a San Francisco agent for the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, took Sarah on a tour of the Santa Clara valley to look for a home. He showed her a forty-five-acre ranch for sale that was located near San Jose. She purchased the property from John Hamm which included a two-story, eight-room farmhouse. Since the property reminded her of Llanada Alavesa from the Basque area, she named her new home Llanada Villa and embarked on what has been described as the world’s longest home renovation, stopping only when she passed on September 5, 1922, at the age of 83.
Photo purportedly showing a spectral image in the mirror.
Is it really haunted?
Following the death of her husband and young daughter, Sarah was told by a spiritual medium named Adam Coons, whom she visited in Boston, that she and her family were being haunted as spirit-realm vengeance for all the bloodshed caused by Winchester’s rifles; that she must construct a house for these ghosts, and that she must never complete the project. It is said that when she moved to San Jose and started building a labyrinthine of stairs, windows, and hallways in and around her house, she believed it would keep her safe from these angry spirits.
Winchester's story has been embellished over the years by various rumours, hyperbole, and myths, and popular writers have misrepresented or invented details about the house and its owner to enhance the legend.
Myths around Sarah’s decision to move from the east coast to California are thought to have originated from author Susy Smith in her book Prominent American Ghosts, published in 1967. This assertion of Winchester meeting with a medium has been repeated in brochures and articles ever since. According to Ignoffo, while it is plausible that Winchester did meet with a psychic medium since it was a common practice for women of her status at the time, there is no evidence that she did so.
Emily Mace, a scholar, and others have looked through issues of Banner of Light, which was a spiritualist periodical, and in the Boston city directories, which listed spiritualists in the area, and no one named Adam Coons could be found.
Following the death of her husband and young daughter, Sarah was told by a spiritual medium named Adam Coons, whom she visited in Boston, that she and her family were being haunted as spirit-realm vengeance for all the bloodshed caused by Winchester’s rifles; that she must construct a house for these ghosts, and that she must never complete the project. It is said that when she moved to San Jose and started building a labyrinthine of stairs, windows, and hallways in and around her house, she believed it would keep her safe from these angry spirits.
Winchester's story has been embellished over the years by various rumours, hyperbole, and myths, and popular writers have misrepresented or invented details about the house and its owner to enhance the legend.
Myths around Sarah’s decision to move from the east coast to California are thought to have originated from author Susy Smith in her book Prominent American Ghosts, published in 1967. This assertion of Winchester meeting with a medium has been repeated in brochures and articles ever since. According to Ignoffo, while it is plausible that Winchester did meet with a psychic medium since it was a common practice for women of her status at the time, there is no evidence that she did so.
Emily Mace, a scholar, and others have looked through issues of Banner of Light, which was a spiritualist periodical, and in the Boston city directories, which listed spiritualists in the area, and no one named Adam Coons could be found.
The hidden staircase leads to a secret room.
The Mystery Facts
From 1886 to 1922, construction seemingly never ceased as the original eight-room farmhouse grew into the world’s most unusual and sprawling mansion, featuring:
· 24,000 square feet
· 10,000 windows
· 2,000 doors
· 160 rooms
· 52 skylights
· 47 stairways and fireplaces
· 12 chimneys
· 13 bathrooms
· 6 kitchens
Sarah and her husband had developed an interest in architecture and interior design while building a home on Prospect Hill in New Haven. With plans to expand the farmhouse, she hired at least two architects but dismissed them, deciding to do the planning herself. She designed the rooms one by one, supervised the project, and sought advice from the carpenters she hired. She took inspiration for the house from the world's fairs that were common then. While the home was similar in scope to other homes built then, it was unusual for a woman to look after such a project and, Colin Dickey states in his book Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places, she could be considered an architectural pioneer of her time.
She was known to rebuild and abandon construction if the progress did not meet her expectations, which resulted in the maze-like design. In the San Jose News of 1897, it was reported that a seven-storey tower was torn down and rebuilt sixteen times. As a result of her expansions, there are walled-off exterior windows and doors that were not removed as the house grew. Multiple levels, up to five, were added to different parts of the home, described as ‘essentially Victorian, with elements of Gothic and Romanesque features.
Built at a price tag of $5 million in 1923, it represents over $71 million today.
From 1886 to 1922, construction seemingly never ceased as the original eight-room farmhouse grew into the world’s most unusual and sprawling mansion, featuring:
· 24,000 square feet
· 10,000 windows
· 2,000 doors
· 160 rooms
· 52 skylights
· 47 stairways and fireplaces
· 12 chimneys
· 13 bathrooms
· 6 kitchens
Sarah and her husband had developed an interest in architecture and interior design while building a home on Prospect Hill in New Haven. With plans to expand the farmhouse, she hired at least two architects but dismissed them, deciding to do the planning herself. She designed the rooms one by one, supervised the project, and sought advice from the carpenters she hired. She took inspiration for the house from the world's fairs that were common then. While the home was similar in scope to other homes built then, it was unusual for a woman to look after such a project and, Colin Dickey states in his book Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places, she could be considered an architectural pioneer of her time.
She was known to rebuild and abandon construction if the progress did not meet her expectations, which resulted in the maze-like design. In the San Jose News of 1897, it was reported that a seven-storey tower was torn down and rebuilt sixteen times. As a result of her expansions, there are walled-off exterior windows and doors that were not removed as the house grew. Multiple levels, up to five, were added to different parts of the home, described as ‘essentially Victorian, with elements of Gothic and Romanesque features.
Built at a price tag of $5 million in 1923, it represents over $71 million today.
Winchester House, 525 South Winchester Boulevard, San Jose, Santa Clara County, California.
The Tourist Attraction.
The house became a tourist attraction nine months after Winchester's death in 1922.The house was in disrepair and considered to be of no monetary value. A group of investors purchased the property subsequently leasing the house to John and Mayme Brown who turned it into an attraction. They later purchased the house in 1931.
The first tour guide of the house was Mayme Brown. Past neighbours, friends, and workers for Sarah were distressed when they read about superstitious claims being made about the house and Winchester and were upset the Browns were making money off falsehoods. They described Winchester as clearheaded and savvier with finances and business than most men.
In 1924 Harry Houdini briefly visited the house and was reportedly impressed by its unusual layout and architectural novelties but could not make a detailed investigation because of more pressing engagements. According to some accounts, Houdini suggested tour operators employ "Winchester mystery house" as a promotional name for the property.
When Keith Kittle, a past Disneyland and Frontier Village employee, became the general manager in 1973, the house was in poor shape. He had the house renovated in the 1970s and 1980s and added a Winchester rifle museum. He sought historical landmark status and began an advertising campaign that included large billboards along the highways. The billboards feature a silhouetted house with implications that a ghost encounter was possible. Attendance increased as he played off the history and superstition that was already circulating. Kittle was general manager until 1996.
As of September 2022, the house is owned and operated by Winchester Mystery House, LLC, which is a private company that represents the descendants of the Browns. Captive of the Labyrinth author Mary Jo Ignoffo wrote that tour guides are required to follow a script emphasizing fabrications and inaccuracies. According to Ignoffo, one guide lamented, "I feel so torn because I have to tell people untruths! Every time I go through the house and must talk about 13s and other 'kooky' things, my heart breaks a little for Sarah....I must bite my tongue every time I hear a guest say, 'what a nutcase.'"
Will there ever be a truth?
Sarah Winchester was a woman of independence, drive, and courage who lives on in legend. And the mansion she built is world-renowned as much for the many design curiosities and innovations (many ahead of her time) as it is for the reported paranormal activity that resides withing the walls.
These mysteries and more are what has drawn over 12 million guests to visit Winchester Mystery House since the doors opened on June 30, 1923.
The house became a tourist attraction nine months after Winchester's death in 1922.The house was in disrepair and considered to be of no monetary value. A group of investors purchased the property subsequently leasing the house to John and Mayme Brown who turned it into an attraction. They later purchased the house in 1931.
The first tour guide of the house was Mayme Brown. Past neighbours, friends, and workers for Sarah were distressed when they read about superstitious claims being made about the house and Winchester and were upset the Browns were making money off falsehoods. They described Winchester as clearheaded and savvier with finances and business than most men.
In 1924 Harry Houdini briefly visited the house and was reportedly impressed by its unusual layout and architectural novelties but could not make a detailed investigation because of more pressing engagements. According to some accounts, Houdini suggested tour operators employ "Winchester mystery house" as a promotional name for the property.
When Keith Kittle, a past Disneyland and Frontier Village employee, became the general manager in 1973, the house was in poor shape. He had the house renovated in the 1970s and 1980s and added a Winchester rifle museum. He sought historical landmark status and began an advertising campaign that included large billboards along the highways. The billboards feature a silhouetted house with implications that a ghost encounter was possible. Attendance increased as he played off the history and superstition that was already circulating. Kittle was general manager until 1996.
As of September 2022, the house is owned and operated by Winchester Mystery House, LLC, which is a private company that represents the descendants of the Browns. Captive of the Labyrinth author Mary Jo Ignoffo wrote that tour guides are required to follow a script emphasizing fabrications and inaccuracies. According to Ignoffo, one guide lamented, "I feel so torn because I have to tell people untruths! Every time I go through the house and must talk about 13s and other 'kooky' things, my heart breaks a little for Sarah....I must bite my tongue every time I hear a guest say, 'what a nutcase.'"
Will there ever be a truth?
Sarah Winchester was a woman of independence, drive, and courage who lives on in legend. And the mansion she built is world-renowned as much for the many design curiosities and innovations (many ahead of her time) as it is for the reported paranormal activity that resides withing the walls.
These mysteries and more are what has drawn over 12 million guests to visit Winchester Mystery House since the doors opened on June 30, 1923.
